Angels of Cruxis
by Fehize
Summary: When fate leaves Kratos with his small son, he does what the boy's mother wanted him to do: raise the child as an Angel. So, they both leave up to the Heavens, where they stay until they are sent down to the surface. A story of destruction...and life...
1. Chapter 1

_Angels of Cruxis_  
_by: Fehize_

_----------_

There was a moon high above the sky, making sure that anything hiding in the open could be easily spotted unless hidden in the bushes that seemed to exist everywhere, or underneath the brush. It was something that could be easily done, but in this case... it was something that could not be done. The answer was simply because there were too many monsters stuck in the bush, and handling a baby wasn't something that was already difficult, nevertheless having to protect the baby from those things that wished to eat it up.

Three huddles of darkness could be seen by the light of the moon that refused to give them comfort. It seemed that everything else was noticing the three blobs, but nothing else could be done to stop them. After all, they were being chased down by Cruxis...

The one with firey red hair quickly pulled a brown haired one behind him, running as though the whole world was chasing behind them. In a sense, he was absolutely correct... Constantly, the red-haired man gave looks to the woman behind him - attached to him by his grasp that seemed to be so strong, it hurt, but light enough for the woman not to cringe often - and the bundle that the woman was holding. However, no matter how hard they all ran, the sounds of their pursuers were coming closer and closer with every passing moment.

Eventually, they found themselves at the edge of a cliff, overfacing a long fall down towards an abyss that was for certain death to at least two of the runaways. The red-head knew he could make the cliff face himself, but carrying others would be a heavy burden. A burden too much for him alone. Not only that, the woman was becoming tired, despite the fact that they were almost at their goal.

There, at the edge of the unknown abyss that seemed to eat alive the rest of the darkness that the moon was not touching, was a group of those pursuiters, waiting for them... One of them was obviously thier leader, ready to go on and pounce for the ones who were fleeing. He was tall, and held a weapon in his hands.

Already, the sun was beginning to show the slighest of pink among the sky high above. That was to be expected as the night was about to fade away. It was to remove any last pieces of shadow and darkness that the fleers could ever go towards. The ringleader of the group awaiting the three people could only laugh. In a sudden quick motion, he swiped the brown haired woman away from the red-haired man.

The red one could move fast enough to take the brown haired one, but his hand grabbed the child as the woman forcefully placed it into the man's hands. The leader took this moment for his own advantage as he pulled off the gleaming gem-like thing that rested ontop of the woman's hand, smiling in a very cruel way and laughing. The adult man took this chance, and hurridly, he brought his hand foreward. Suddenly... there were explosions everywhere, hitting everything except the child in his other arm, the woman, and himself. These explosions were light that erupted from the ground below and cut through everything; white and burning against the blacking sky above. It was something that made almost all of them come down in a flash, killing all the ones that fell.

With an amazing speed, newfound energy - no, sheer anger, the man lunged himself towards the woman who was there on the ground. She was already gasping for breath, but the red-haired tried to do what he could. The leader from earlier was still unfased in the ground, but that was currently being ignored. The woman was beginning to change into something that the small child started to whimper and cry about. There, right in front of them, was a monster that was seemingly in amazing pain. A monster that did not even recgonize her own husband and son. It raised its arms, then kinda froze there in its place for a few seconds. Mind words were being exchanged between the man and the thing that was a woman... words that the man did not want to know, but did what the woman dying inside wanted him to do. After what seemed eons, with a quick stroke, the man made a chrimson blossom bloom across the monster, which was then turning back into a woman with the red flower still blooming on her chest. There, she gave one of her few last breaths as the man began to mourn; the child crying because it had no idea what was going on.

The leader in the background was now standing, the only one alive from the attack of the light that seemed to thunder from the floor. He was standing up, gapping in the sunlight of the rising morning sun that was spilling the color of blood everwhere, basking the surface of the world in the colors of the fuel of life. The leader pointed straight at the red head one, the feeling of anger easliy noticed as it came pouring out of the man.

"YOU! It was YOU who stole the Angellus Project from me?" yelled the leader. "YOU? Here I was thinking it was a Renegade, but YOU? Yggdrasil's own personal _friend_? KRATOS? One of the FOUR Seraphim? **YOU** are the one? Wait until he hears about this! You will be dead when he hears about this!"

The red haired man didn't allow the other one to leave the area to tell the one the leader was going to tell.

With another flick of his weapon, already red as it was from earlier, the leader fell down towards the ground in utter shock. "Yggdrasil will never know..." said the red head one in an soft and silent tone. "All he will know is that you, Kvar, wanted to use the Angellus Project-" and with that, he riped the gem-like thing from the dying man's gloved hand - "for yourself to gain more power and wanting to overthrow him. Especially with that Mana Cannon of yours..."

"You KNEW about that? No---!" there, the dying leader gasped for breath as the sword was being plunged deeper into his heart; deeper into his soul. "Why-y... you... _**bastard**_ Kr-Kratos!"

SHING!!

The red head turn around, mixed with the emotions of anger, hatred, pain, and saddness that filled his heart more than _anyone_ could ever dare think about, and ignored the dead man behind him. Carefully, he raised up his small child, the only thing he truely had left in the world... and the gem-like thing that was the last token of the mother. It was silent for a while after that, the man making sure all that were around him was dead. It saddened and angered him that he didn't kill them earlier... If he would only have done so... But he couldn't... He was too tired... But that sudden burst of energy... _Anna... I'm... sorry. It's all my fault.  
_  
It was a while that the man stood there, holding the now sleeping child that had noticed nothing out of the ordinary. After all, he was bearly a little two year old, bearly old enough to walk and say a few small words. In a small state of shock of what just happened as the sun rose higher above the surface of the world, all the man did for a few moments was to make sure that the child was indeed asleep by gently stroking the sleeping figure.

"Anna... I'll... keep your promise of what you wanted..." The man looked down towards the small child, then up at the high sky, already filled with birds that wanted to greet the morning. After a mere few seconds, his head turned back down towards the sleeping child. "I'll take our child and make him grow up to know the... things you wanted him to see..."

With that said outloud, hopefully soft enough not to awaken the child but loud enough for the woman to hear - where ever she may be - slightly, he began to walk his treak down towards the area of the cliff after disposing of the bodies left behind by fire... The only form of energy he really had left at that point.

---

Dirk was taking his stroll outside when he noticed a figure off in the distance. Surprised that such a person would be walking around at such an hour, he hurried foreward; maybe a little bit cautious becuase of the many Desians that could be around. He made sure to make some noise, but only enough of an animal, so if it was not a Desian, the person wouldn't be surprised if he suddenly walked out from the brush.

The man had red hair and was carrying a small child, and was covered with blood. That made the dwarf chill in the inside, then immidantly run out into the path to see if he could help. At first, the other man was acting like as if something terrible was going to happen once Dirk came out from his hiding place, but Dirk tried to show that he was a friendly person who wanted to help. With a few more steps, he arrived at he unnamed stranger.

"Hey! Do ya need some help or something?" he asked worriedly. "Looks like ya must have escaped from the Ranch! Quick, come this way. I have my house near by and I can help you hide! But we must hurry!"

The red head seemed to not really say much of a word. _Maybe he is in shock that he just escaped from that dreaded place... These poor people... And a child! Desians... They are sicking creatures!  
_  
With a small nod, the man with the red hair walked with Dirk as the hurried into the cabin that was his home. It was off in the distance, nice and hidden from the area high above because of trees... Unless you were within a mile from the area. After all, it was a clearing in the woods that the dwarf lived at.

After making sure they were all nice and safe inside his house, his first attention had to be held at the small child that seemed to be eaither dead... or asleep. At first, the red head seemed reluctant to let Dirk hold onto the child, but after a few silent moments - which Dirk thought was odd that an escapee would be silent. Wouldn't they be happy and scream for joy? - the man let Dirk hold the boy, but with a very watchful eye. After a few quick glances, Dirk noticed there was nothing on the child, not even a scratch.

The next step was the red haired man, who seemed to be - relieved? Not much emotions showing through. Perhaps he was really tired... - when the child was placed back in his hold. There were some bruises and some scrapes and some cuts, but overall, nothing that could signify for the amount of blood that was on his clothing. Dirk tried to dissmiss it from his mind. Maybe to escape the Ranch, the man had to kill somebody...

"Thanks. There is just three things I may ask before we have to go."

Dirk heard the voice and turned around to face the red head, who was standing up and looked straight at the dwarf. "Ya want to leave the vicinity? Ya better be careful when trying to leave. That Human Ranch is off towards the exit... I wouldn't do it... But yes, I will help. A dwarf never leaves a person in need alone. What can I do?"

"I assume that you are Dirk, the crafstman. It seems to fit, mainly because you are a dwarf. I need a Key Crest, some food, and some cloathing if you can spare it."

Dirk thought that was a strange request. After all, a Key Crest was needed only if you had an Exsphere. Maybe the man needed to get his mounted because of being a Ranch inhabitant?

When the red head tried to offer something in return for the things he asked for, Dirk just shook his head and said that it was really nothing. Just a nice saying for someone who needed it was what Dirk thought.

It took maybe a few days to make sure that the Key Crest was all done. After all, it just so happened that the child needed some attention as well. Dirk noticed that the red head gave the child the attention the small lad wanted, but with a sad, distance look in his eyes that seemed to lie heavily everywhere. Still, little emotion was given from the adult man, and only to the small package in his hands.

So, when it was all done, Dirk noticed as the red head gave thanks towards him as he left the building and the clearing. He shook his head, wondering as to how they will be ok from then on. Hopefully the Desians will not be chasing after them, for that would be the last thing that they would need.

---

Kratos was the red head's name, a name that was old and almost forgetten in the scrolls that talked about the ancient war that ruined the land and the Great Tree. Now, because the woman was - sadly - gone, he could now do what he knew he should have at least _tried_ to do earlier in the cliffs a few days ago. Both had wanted to find that dwarf and get that crest for her...but....

The small child was now napping, cuddling tight against the body of the man, cooing softly while dreaming things that only little children could udnerstand. The man was wearing white now, white with silver and gold, and the child was now wearing something very similar, in a much cuter sort of sense. The sun was shinning high above, like a golden disk that was eternally polished with the best of shine. With a sudden gleam of light, transparent wings appeared from the figure of the man, as he very carefully placed the Key Crest and the Exsphere upon the child's hand. Looking up, he once again talked up towards the sky high above...

"Anna..." he whispered softly, less he awaken the small child. "You said that you wanted to have Lloyd grow up to know what it was like to be an angel of honor... And Angel of Change... I hope you know what I must do... I will hold my promise..."

With that, he jumped up into the sky, making sure the child was still in the World of Dreams where everyone went when they slept, weither it be good or bad. He was going to take his child and grow up the little one in the Heavens, just like the mother - his wife - wished.

As for Yggdrasil... Well... The red head knew he can be persuasive.

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_Tales of Symphonia is owned by NAMCO. Fehize doens't claim any rights to it.  
Angels of Cruxis - [6.29.2006] ~ [.Xxxx]  
Retouched - [4.23.2009]_

_Please enjoy this story!  
_


	2. Chapter 2

_Angels of Cruxis  
by: Fehize_

_----------_

"Daddy, is is okidokies ifs I goes outsides?" questioned the small little brown haired boy that was standing straight below the tall red head man. He was busy going over some charts about the land that existed down below; the land that was deprived of Mana for so long. He was marking the areas that were missing, that were gone, areas that have faded away from the existence of memory from the people who lived there because of the fact that the Mana no longer made those places available to live. Yet somehow, a small group of people defied the natural law and made small little houses there. A village called Triet was growing - if not flourishing much - in the Mana depriving area. Eventually, there will be no more Mana left and they will die. That would leave Yggdrasil no other world to have possible... hosts, and that would get him rather back in his child-like tantrums. Much like the little brown head, who was busy whining, trying to get his white-clad-busy-of-a-working-father-looking-for-next-host-and-working's attention. After a while, the little pleads got a smitten more desperate, along with the little cries of 'Daddy, daddy!' He had to give out a small little sigh while grabbing a marker and circling the area around Iselia, the land of the next host for Martel. No matter how hard the red head tried to make himself outlast the little pleas of 'Daddy', he never managed to go beyond three minutes and fifteen seconds (and that was his total record time. He once tried to pull four, but the child started to do the whole big brown eye look, and that _always_ got the adult in seconds...), and even then that was one of the hardest things he had to do.

He tuned his head away from his job, making sure to put a very _mini_ smile, but a smile never less for the begging child. It still was maybe a little bit embarrassing to himself upon thinking of smiling. After all, he was noted for his sheer coolness and coldness around his used-to-be friends... If they only saw him now... _Maybe they are right about me going all soft on them... Humph. Nice of the Desians to start saying things like that..._ He sighed yet again as the small boy stopped his cries and looked straight up at the man who the little one deemed 'Daddy'. "Yes, Lloyd?"

"Cans I pleases go on towardss the outsides... I wanna learns how to flys agains!" With a little fling of his hands high up into the air, the small child acted liked he could indeed fly. Little, _itty bitty_ transparent wings came out of his back, a silver blue-green color - a hue short of the man's own wings mixed with a green rivaling the ocean it its zenith of beauty - when the lad requested it. Like the man's own, they flapped back and forth without much thought. One time the child tried to make them go as fast as he could. Being only five, he burned out at around seven flaps a second, making _quite_ a time to make sure the kid was still conscious enough to eat something to get his energy back. Ah yes, to be a small kid again...

"Lloyd... It time for you to learn your spells again. You know only up to Ray right now... Remember... To be a good Angel..."

The little one sighed, making the air come out of his mouth and move his hair up towards his forehead. "But Daddyyyyy..." he whined. It was a rather cute little whine, a whine that sometimes panged his heart as that was something that Anna did... Never less, it was a whine that was as almost as effective as the big-eyed trick. (He could swear that the little one did the eye thing on purpose, knowing **exactly** what it did to the elder...)

"All right, all right... But only if you do your practice on Ray first. You want to know Holy Lance, right?" The father knew that that was the technique that the little one was just _dying_ to know, especially since he saw his own father try it out earlier that year. Even if he was far enough to know Ray, the little one still needed lots of work. He only just learned Thunder Blade, Nurse, and Air Thrust... It was very important to know all your spells before the sword. Especially for such a small child...

Of course he kept Lloyd's progress far away from Yggdrasil. That was the **last** person the man wanted to know that the child was showing unbelievable progress in mental strength. Lloyd was too young and too innocent to understand the hardships of the world... and for meeting the deranged psycho for a serious talk. Whenever the ex-friend would ask about the small child's progress like a man would ask the progress of a chicken for eating, the red head 'lied' and said the best he could do was a good imitation of Stone Blast... Which was not really lying as the small, hyper-active child _could_ do Stone Blast... and then Stalagmite, which _was_ linked to Stone Blast...

With a happy little cry, the small child began to prance around the room, hopping on one foot, then the other. The red head man shook his head amid the happy little cries. It was rather cute how the child did all of that after all... Arg! But how was he supposed to go on and finish his work around here every once in a while? Sometimes having a son could be a real hassle...

But one look given from the happy little one was all he really needed to go on and make sure that the child got what he wanted... _Soft? Maybe it should be more like liquid goop. Ah... Life... so... filled with hardships..._ So, though somewhat knowing he was going to resent this later, he managed to make sure that all of his stuff was safely put away and back in their positions so when he actually **manages** to get back to work at one point or another... At least he can make sure that he won't lose his place. Who would have thought that searching for the next Mana depriving section could be so time-consuming? It was a necessary task, he knew, but it was still _sooooo_ annoying. Kinda like when the little one threw a tantrum whenever he had to go and accept his jobs from random people as a mercenary. Then again, those tantrums were always worse...

Opening the door outside towards the City of the Angels was not really needed. After all, the doors had a habit on opening by themselves. But, it was going to be needed as an important lesson for the lad when he goes towards the worlds as they had door knobs instead of self-opening doors. Once, the young Lloyd tried to wait for one of those doors to "open on its own", but ended up waiting until the red head opened it by the knob. It made for quite a laughing story between them too, and a frizzing of the hair for the brown-haired puff ball.

"All right Lloyd, here we go. Now, there is a nice place that is all abandoned near the world filled with Mana right now. What is that world called again?" It was good to make sure the lad knew his towns, cities, and places... Mainly because he had this bad habit on calling the world-

"Siverlate!" screamed the child happily, raising his arms slightly, trying to prove he was right. Which, in truth, he wasn't, but it was close enough for now. As long as he didn't keep it up for the rest of his life... History. There was _another_ thing that he had to remember to teach the young child. The History of the **real** Kharlan War.

That might take a while...

Son following father like a little chick following the mother hen (or in this case, the _father_ hen), they walked towards the warp platform that was south of the one for Yggdrasil's own palace. Right before leaving, the small child held onto the pants of the man tight. That made him chuckle in the inside somewhat. For some strange reason, the child claimed that he might be warped away from his father if he was to ever let go. The red head had let it pass for a while as it was utterly _adorable!_ _**AK!**_ There _I go AGAIN about the soft spots! _He sighed mental in his head, realizing this must have been the tenth or ninth timed he sighed that day. _I __really__ hope no one sees me like this. Last thing I would really need is Yuan to see this... Or any Desian for that matter. It will be rather... __**worse**__ than just the word 'embarrassing'... _

With the rings of bright purple light filling the areas around them, they were sent towards the base of the Tower of Salvation. In reality, there was one Tower, but the people believed there was two different ones. Or at least, the 'people', meaning the citizens of the worlds. Anyways, both of them exited, making sure that their clothing were changed out of their white suits that were oddly enough filled with many buckles and clasps. Maybe it was the fashion at Welgia? After all, he got rather bored of it sometimes as it was the same **all the time**. At least on the surface world he was allowed to go and wear his purple mercenary one. It wasn't quite so... _white_...

Walking out into the sunshine was a nice change from the being kept and cooped up inside the starlight area way up high. For one, the child could actually begin to get his colors back into his skin. Being stuck in an area with no sunlight really did that to people. Made them incredibly pale, and that could lead for bad times in fighting, one reason being that pain from sunburns could easily make you feel all raw and make your movements much less. Also, one more reason... tanned people could also stand heat better.

The red head looked straight at his little boy, who was busy trying to catch little butterflies in the sun. Shacking his head, he brought attention to himself as the small child turned around quickly. "Lloyd, you have to remember to be more observant outside Welgia. Others can spot you and try to do harm onto you, and as you know, that would be a bad thing. Now come on, lets get hurrying as we have to be in a rush to get towards our training area in time before the sun here begins to set."

"Do we reallys have tos walks alls the ways? Can't yous just flys over theres?" Once again, the small child was beginning to whine, but in that cute form. _Cute? Ah... This is hopeless sometimes...  
_  
"Yes, Lloyd. You are going to need to build up your stamina for long distances. When you grow up, you are going to need it when you go wherever you wish to travel towards to. Walking takes effort, and that effort can be a collective tiring after a while."

"Tirings. Gots it!"

"AND..." the red head continued. It was times like these that Lloyd actually _wanted_ to learn life lessons... Or whatever it was called... "Fighting takes more out of your energy. You need to learn how to conserve your energy. This is also helpful when you run into elves. Elves can read your energy and..." He had to trail off, just to see if the attentive brown-head was actually listening, and not just looking like he was.

"Thens theys can tell if yous ares an Angels... Sees Daddy! I 'members!"

_Adorable! ... Great. I'm __glad__ no one can read my head..._ He had to congratulate his son, for that was the way they knew it was the right answer. So, together, they began to walk through the forest that was going to be ahead of them. It was going to take a while to walk some of the way over there, but it was also a good chance to sight see among the area. Even though being four-thousand years old and knowing every little leaf and every little rock in the general area, it still was a good change from just white, white, white. Oh. And white. Desians had more color. At least they had golds and reds. What did Welgaia have at the best? White, silver, purple, blue... And white.

He's pretty sure he had enough white to last the rest of his life, despite how long that might be.

---

The walk in the forest at night was a good time to see the surrounding areas. Lloyd was already resting on the shoulder of the red head man, making almost no noise as his breathing was getting softer and softer as the hours past. Over the past few months, that was something he had been noticing lately... The patterns of breath on the child. At first, it seemed like the normal breathing pattern, a pattern that normal humans would have during the night and during the day. But as time passed, it was beginning to show that he was beginning to stop breathing, kinda like the adult no longer really needed to. That was, unless they were around people and wasn't in angelic form. When he was... He shook his head. Was this the thing that Anna truly wanted? Yes. She wished for it. For Lloyd to be an Angel... Angel of Change, whatever that was to be... Back to the breath thing. Eventually, he knew he was going to have to tell the child that he was going to need to consciously breath when in front of others... Hopefully he might get it before he gets to the History...

Little by little, the moon was rising high above. It was about time he set the kid down and try to relax. Not sleep, of course not. Sleep? With all of the monsters about that want to hurt anything that could be used as food? He had to stay awake for a wonderful thing that Anna gave him. It would not be the best of morning to wake up and find that his son was taken away in sleep. So, he made himself stay awake. Not like as if it was the hardest thing in the world to do. Being an angel had some of its perks, such as not _really_ needing sleep.

All that night, there was actually not much going on. Some monsters that went south or north towards other areas, perhaps finding other forms of food. The cold was gone now, as it was the season of spring here, so it did not get really all that cold outside in the area. If at the best, just a bit nippy. Likewise, it was not something that he could feel under normal angelic conditions, but the kid most certainly still could.

_Hmm... the Exsphere seems to be going rather well... I hope it does nothing bad to him. It is mounted on a Key Crest, so it shouldn't. I just hope it won't stop his aging early. _He tried to imagine his son being five forever, then shuddered. Sure, he was cute, but can you imagine taking care of a kid forever? He had enough of that with Yggdrasil, and when compared together, Lloyd might actually be a bit more mature... And maybe a small bit more sane. But Yggdrasil was his old friend, and he helped him out never less... But it _has_ been nagging him about the way that the leader of Welgaia was trying to reach his goal. Perhaps they should change plans a little... _No, don't think that Kratos... He may have... issues... but he is trying to make the world into a unified place. _Sometimes though... that thought never really satisfied him enough.

Crack...

Surprised somewhat from that sound that was seemingly far away, the red head turned his head sideways and tried to get a better sound of things that were going on around him. _Better sound and better hearing... Might as well use them to my advantage often..._ Carefully holding the sleeping figure tighter, he made sure that there was a clear area and gently made his wings show out. Allowing himself to rise up into the tree, he placed the child in a general area, making sure nothing was inside it. Floating back down, he edged closer towards the area where the sounds were coming from.

"I'm telling you, you need to practice on your stealthy-ness. Now, try again Sheena."

"Yes, sir!"

Some more shuffle noises, barely audible to the human ear, but loud enough for the angel, occurred nearby. Then... smack... Another sound occurred that was loud enough for human ears rang out in the woods.

"Alright Sheena," said a content, happy voice. "That is enough for tonight. I'm really quite please at your advancement in your ninja skills. For only being your seventh time outside the village to the forest, you are doing quite well. Now, come, let us return to Mizuho. It is time to great the dawn with our traditional breakfast of rice."

"Yes! I like rice for breakfast! Would there be some _ocha_?"

"_Hai_, but only if we hurry!"

With that, the sounds of two leaving people were the only sounds left. They too faded away after a while, leaving the red head to go back towards the tree and retrieve his little boy. It seemed like another family person was training a girl in the vicinity. Guess it was time to change areas to the west southwest...

---

The training of little Lloyd went along rather well. Though the wanted "Holy Lance" was not yet achieved...

He did manage to teach himself Gravity Well...

And that left for pulling out of rocks from _both_ of their hair the rest of that afternoon...

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_Retouched - [4.23.2009]_


	3. Chapter 3

_Angels of Cruxis  
by: Fehize_  
_  
----------_

"INDIGNATION!"

CRACK!  
BOOOM!  
WHOOSH....whoosh...

"Wow Daddy! You are the bestests!" screamed the little kid so he could be heard over the incredible sound of thunder crackling the ground. "Gos Daddys!" Lots of little clapping noises emitted from the small little hands, nice soundomg clapping that could only be heard over the sound of those darn rocks flying everywhere by his angelic hearing. It was actually nice to be called cool from your own son... Even if the son was knowledgeable in the surface worlds as much as a little zucchini bread...

The small child was already outside for around two days with his 'Daddy' and was having a _great_ time. It was a WHOLE lot of fun for him, and Kratos - the one with the red hair that seemed to stay in the same spiky position no matter what the weather - made sure that it was fun and safe. No need for the child to have to go back to the confined Welgaia and get pale again because of an injury that could not be healed simply by casting any of his immense healing moves. Already the little Lloyd was all getting darker, and by now it seemed like he was **almost** the same shade as someone living around Flanior. That was still pretty pale, but it beats the last paleness the child had earlier. Hopefully in a few more days... And of course, he was being a good parent and was making sure that any signs of sunburns were healed away before they became a problem. Sunburns - which he could recall when he was a little boy... wherever he lived... - were _not_ exactly the best things in the world to go through. Getting attacked by a monster perhaps had much less pain over time than one of those horrid things. Not to mention what it could do to a young child's skin...

The red head took a good look at the small child that was busily trying to mimic his father's moves that sent the heavens raining down upon the monsters that existed there. It was an attempt that was not good enough yet to make the actual spell to happen, but at least it had the appearance of one. That was pretty odd, seeing the young one chanting the lines needed to do so and not having any spells at all. He pitied any monster that tried to get underneath the first _correct_ attempt...

The time was not at all late nor early. It was in fact, maybe a little bit before the sun hit the highest part of the day. It wasn't exactly getting hot yet, as it was really too far north for the hottest parts of the sun's rays, but rather, a nice warm temperature. That went along rather well because that would mean less loss of water for the kid. Lloyd still needed water after all, and would perhaps need it for around a few more years. Need was the precise word. The red head himself could still accept water... Not much good it would do though...

"Daddy... Whats are yous doings? Starings out to thes suns in normals?"

The red head had to shack his head. Sometimes, if he was _that_ deep into thought and ideas, he would sometimes seem like he was no longer really on the world. Or whatever part of the time continuum he was in that current moment. It got really difficult to remember all the places at times, mainly because of the fact that he sometimes never stayed in the same area twice. He was sure he knew them all, but they all go to be rather annoying to call by name after a while.

Turning his head down, he managed to give his son a content-like look. "I was just really thinking about things, that's all. It can get to be quite difficult to thing about stuff like I was thinking in Welgaia. Sometimes I am just too busy..."

"Daddy's busys?"

Feeling slightly relieved, the red head suddenly lunged himself at the small child, then attacked his stomach.

"NO! NO DADDYS! NOTS THE TICKLES!"

But it was already starting to be done. Continuously, the larger adult continued to mercilessly make his fingers rub against the young ones belly, which was now a little bit messed up. Ok, perhaps a whole lot of messed up, but it was a good bonding time moment. Just as long as the shirt did not get ripped by the little one's constant struggle to squirm away from the 'attack'. On and on it went, with only the sounds of 'No no noooooooo!' heard around the general area. Eventually, the red head knew he had to stop because he didn't want the same thing to happen like the _last_ time... He ended up having to clean that annoying little yellow stain off from the floor as the child ran straight towards the bathroom to take a good bath and change into a fresh set of clothes.

"Whews! Daddy, that was fun! I almosts peeds in my panties!" And considering the small child was still lying down upon the ground, clutching himself tight around the waist, it was a miracle that he _didn't_ wet his clothes... Again.

The red head made sure that the young one calmed down before beginning to talk about the next objective lesson, which would be about some mix of flying lessons and geography of... "Sivilate." That was defiantly bound to get the attention of the small child, who was now busy trying to see what was going to be for lunch. Was it just him, or was his child easily distracted by bright and shinny objects?

"Lloyd. Please stop messing with the supplies bag. We need to make sure nothing gets really spoiled or we have to go back early towards the Tower. And you don't exactly want that to happen again, do you?"

"Nos Daddy... But I am getting hungaryssssss..."

The red head sighed. "Hungry son. Not 'hungary'."

"Hungrysssssssssssss..."

Yes, it was going to be a long day...

---

"Now, Lloyd. Since you still have... physical feelings in your angelic form, you need to remember that you can get tired faster than I can and that you can _not_ fly higher than five thousand feet. If you go that high, you begin to pant because of the lack of breathable air. When you get older, this will become less of a problem. Understand?"

"Yes Daaddyy!" yelled the puffo-mix brown-haired child. Already it was late evening as the lad wanted to take a nap before learning anything else. _That meant that he must have been incredibly tired to miss an early chance for flying lessons... Better not try to push him too hard. He is still a child..._ The sun was setting down towards the west, making for a nice display of colors. It was rather a beautiful sight, and a great time for flying. There was not a single cloud in the sky above twenty thousand feet, so that meant no chance for a sudden storm anytime soon. That would be great because the last thing he would need (other than Lloyd to eat chocolate and get 'choco-high') was for Lloyd to get zapped.

The hardest part for the young one was trying to go on and simply **leave** the grass below his feet. It seemed that his wings were still not fully developed enough to carry the child's weight. They were not even the proper size yet either, but if he managed to get off the ground, he could fly. Wobbly.

It was hard, as a parent, not to freak out when Lloyd plunged down around fifty feet every once in a while.

_Freaking out? Now __**there**__ is a term I hardly use... _

Eventually, the kid needed a gentle nudge from his 'Daddy' as it was clear that on his own he wasn't about to go up an inch, never mind one thousand feet. After a few crucial moments of trying to find his balance, the young one was all ready to get going and fly off. The red head tried to remember the time when he had to learn how to fly. For one, he was already surprised when he had wings so many years ago, and then he had to make those things do what his mind wished them to do. Flying was no easy task to learn, but once you got the hang of it - and avoid any trees while practicing... - it became rather easy.

After a quick lift-off from the ground, the red head made sure that they both reached around the height of two-thousand safely. There were flying monsters at the afternoon often, and you could never tell if one was going to be a stangler and accidentally run into two angels and might mistake them for a midnight snack.

Lloyd was still getting to understand the basics when something off towards the side caught the red head's eye. Turning around, the adult man grabbed his child and made sure that they were both safely hidden behind a mountainous rock.

"Daddy... Whats going ons?"

"Shhh... Be quiet Lloyd. I think there is something below us."

Making sure that his son was still on the rock, he scolded himself for not bringing any type of sword. _This is what I get for not allowing myself to bring one for fear of Lloyd getting cut..._ He scanned the general area around the same altitude as him and noticed some dragons flying around below him. Like as if they were scouting for something. Something about their looks made him believe they were not Desians on a training mission. They looked like Renegades...

The enemy of Cruxis.

And there were at least fifty of them.

"Lloyd. We need to get out of here. Numbers are not in our favor, and if I have to fight, I don't want you to be anywhere near me. Monsters are one thing. The Renegades are another." At one point in Lloyd's life he told him about the Renegades and about how they were trying to stop Cruxis. Lloyd didn't receive everything, but he managed to get the concept that they tried to kill - or in the child's case, hurt a lot as he didn't understand the concept of killing - Cruxis people to extract information. So, as son as one of the Cruxis Four Seraphim, Lloyd knew he was a target of major importance.

Grabbing his son by the hand, he made sure that they plunged down from their height on the far said of the mountain. The rush of the sound of falling was loud in his ears, as was the sound of the dragons smelling something with their dratted noses. It was a race of some major importance. If they didn't get down fast enough, they would be discovered!

"Daddy... Are theys gonna hurts us?"

"Quiet!" he exclaimed, trying to stop his son and make sure that he wasn't becoming to loud.

The sun was glinting on their wings, but the angel that was leading the plummet down in height was not going to put them away. If he were too, the fall from such a height would be too great and kill the child, and perhaps the older man himself. They couldn't exactly raise any higher either because the air was too thin for breathing on the kid and he would have died. If the cold didn't reach him first, that was.

Unfortunately, they were spotted coming down. _Damn! This is not good!_ Not because of the wings that was sending rainbow colored glints raining upon anything one hundred feet down, but because of the fact that they were using some new magitechnology that could distinguish any form of heat. As an angel, **that** was something you kept despite the fact your metabolism never really worked anymore. And in this case, it was going to be very bad...

"DADDY! THEY ARE THROWINGS THINGYS!" yelled his son from his arms.

Cranking his head up, the man saw as his hair flip up in the wind from the downwards fall. There, right above them, was another dragon... with a cloaked man. Something didn't seem especially right here. There was no way that a single group of Renegades could find them with those numbers. It just _had_ to be known about the fact that they were both going outside of Welgaia and that there were no other angels there to support them both. Despite being really good at his skills, numbers were still a very important factor. And in this case, a factor that could be the end of a day that began in such prospect...

"DADDY!" screamed little Lloyd now, obviously paranoid and very much so afraid. "**The mans aboves us is chargings his Manassss!**"

The red head could feel it, an attack being reday to be summoned in a moments notice. Turning his whole body around, still falling and hearing the wind rush by their bodies like sharp whistles, he made sure that he had his head looking at the target. _Aim your Mana at the target and shoot, just like you do everyday..._ Problem was, he was still holding the child, and if he let go, the child would fall at a slower pace them him because of the child's weight. If he didn't let go, he couldn't unleash a spell. A spell that the other person was already done by then...

"LIGHTNING BLADE!" yelled the figure on the dragon.

"Guardian!" said the man at the same time.

The blade of electricity hit the shield surrounding the two figures and the energy was dissipated by the green aura that surrounded them. However, the _force_ of the spell sent them down... Just like the man in the cloak above wanted it to do... Even worse, the red head knew it, and knew that is his current condition (with the small child) he couldn't really fight back.

BAM!!!

With a sickening thud, he heard as they landed on a dragon that was waiting for them just around two hundred feet from the land below. His back ached immediately as the force of stopping suddenly from a one thousand and eight hundred foot drop was an immense one. However, right before he could get ready to defend himself, many pairs of hands came and did the most horrible thing you could do to a father...

Separate him from his son...

"DADDYYYY!" came the cry of sorrow and anguish.

The angel tried to struggle back, but they had already stuffed a potion down his throat that immediately made him unable to use mana. A dirty trick... an evil one that made his blood boil deep in the inside. Anger was a word that was not used at its fullest... It was a feeling that far surpassed that word. Even with that shoved down his throat, the Renegades were almost unable to hold him back...

_Almost_ was being the key word.

All at once, the dragon user that was above them that had casted Thunder Blade earlier flew down and landed right next towards the red head angel that was nearly blinded by rage. With a swift movement, the clocked figure took the younger child from the Renegades that had the kid in the first place. That made for some more struggles from the angel, but there were already on the ground with more than ten people holding him down to the ground. An ambush... That was the only logical reason that there could have been for the Renegades to discover that they were there.

The cloaked one drew the scared Lloyd high into the air, by the very _tip_ of the silver and blue-green wing. Since they were not fully developed, they were not really meant for the strain of having to support the child's weight by only one side of the wing. It did not tear, but it was very painful. A cry of sadness and dread filled the general area as the child began to cry.

Then, the cloaked figure - after making sure that the red head was still pinned down by the hoard of others - drew a dagger from the inside of the blackness where his or her body was hidden and held it right at the child's neck. The poor kid began to try to struggle, but the cloaked figure only held the weapon tighter and closer, and this time actually getting a small line of red coming from the neck. That angered the father in a way that could not be said for words...

"Kratos! If you want your child to stay alive and to grow up, you better release Origin from its seal!"

The red head, still being held back by the others, suddenly stopped himself and became rigid. They were holding his son hostage... A hostage that who's only exchange was the death of the father and the ruin of the organization of Cruxis. Something that was dangerous and deadly.

"And I know you love your son... _terribly_. Isn't that right, Kratos? You would do **anything** to make sure that he stays protected and alive. Especially if he is the last remaining form of family you have... No matter who the mother was. She must have died. I'm pretty sure that an Angel of Cruxis - a worthless piece of angelic host - got what she deserved..."

The red head knew no one else knew of his precious Anna. Still, to be insulted in such a way only added the icing to the cake.

All of the Renegades were close together, all nice and smug, with the looks of victory in their eyes. All knowing that they have defeated Kratos, one of the Four Seraphim, with his _only_ weakness... A weakness that was well played out and executed. He could hear them breathing, hear their forsaken hearts beating... _**Elated**_ because they were at their peak time...

It was at this time that the child used his head to his proper advantage...

It took only one sentence, but it was enough to stall the Renegades from ending Cruxis forever...

"CYCLONEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! DIE YOU MONSTERS! LEAVE DADDYS ALOOOOOOOOOOOOONNEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSS!"

The sky darkened as the whole group of Renegades were caught up in the massive attack that reached almost the whole sight of eye. Every single one... Even the cloaked one. The large sound of the howling wind was heard from the bottom of the ground. The green wisps of the air currents were finely defined and then raced up towards the ceiling, blowing the enemies in a large, round circle. A vortex of air began to form, and with that, they were all sucked into it and were immediately flinching back from the attacks of sharp blades of invisibility.

The red head took this moment as an advantage. Even the ones that were holding him down were now floating over his head around one hundred feet, not exactly ready yet to punch back as they were still there, getting hit continuously. Running, he flung himself over towards the scared child who was standing in the middle of a mana circle, ready for his next attack.

"TAKE THIS EVILS! RAYYYYYYYY!"

The red head, Kratos, already had his circle all ready and prepared for fighting. He couldn't unleash any spells, but there was one thing he could to that was not a spell. It was a _summon_, and THAT was what he did.

"I call upon the ruler of all! ORIGIN!"

It was a wonderful combo move. Once in the air, there was a highly concentrated amount of light that struck the enemies right on their heads. This in turn threw them down towards the hard ground and made them easily accessible by the ruler summon that damaged them even more.

It was the cloaked one, the one caught right in the center, that decided to speak up for himself first despite the injuries he was receiving. "If we knew your child could do that, we would have drugged him as well as you!" Bam! There was another hit that silenced him as he was being attacked. The red head grabbed his child and then headed off towards the woods. If it wasn't for that damn potion they made him swallow...

The stalling of the Renegades was only for around a total of ten minutes. However, by then, the two angels - one in training and the other already one - were long since gone.

And that made the cloaked figure curse as it was being tended for its wounds by the other surviving members.

---

It had already reached nightfall by the time they reached the Tower ahead of them. This time it was the quick route, the route by flying. However, it had to be done by flying low, inside the tree tops as to avoid any more happenstances.

The child was already yawning, _clearly_ unaware of the major thing he had just endured. What they both had to endure. The potion had already worn off, and that was making things a little bit easier at least. If the red head learned anything from this, it was that maybe they were going to have to risk Yggdrasil watching his son grow. It bested having an army of Renegades breathing down your back, waiting for the perfect opportunity.

"Daddy..." yawned the small child that was already trying to rest his little head upon the adults shoulder. "I **still** didn't learn Holy Lance..."

Despite the days occurrence, the red head laughed.

----------

_Retouched - [4.23.2009]_


	4. Chapter 4

_Angels of Cruxis_  
_by: Fehize_

_---_

"What has happened to you, Kratos? You seem like you are injured. Here, let me help you out."

"No, I am fine Yuan..."

"Humph. This is what I get for helping out an old friend..."

"Daddys... I'm thirsty..."

"Hold on Lloyd..."

"Why is he tired?"

"We were practicing flying lessons."

"Ah."

"Thirsty..."

"Well, I have to get going. Yggdrasil was calling me earlier to report on Zelos and his family."

"Have funs, Mr. Daddy's Friend!"

"Very funny."

With that, the black and red cloaked man with long blue hair tied back into a pony-tail began to walk away from the two angelic beings. It was already becoming nightfall on the worlds below them both, but it was Welgaia and time in cases of night and day knew no bounds. Lloyd had already awaken as the fact that he could never really sleep for a long time on his father's shoulders... Especially if the red head was moving or talking to something else. Absolute silence had to be conducted in order to make sure that the young five year old was able to sleep. And that was something hard to do, especially since staying _perfectly still_ for the young child was something nigh impossible...

"Daddy... How olds is Mr. Yuans? Is hes **thouuuuuusands** of yearses olds like yous?" Leave it to Lloyd to forget about the attack earlier and talk about age. For some reason, he seem to be unable to fathom that, as an angel, there were things that could not really die unless... 'hurt' in massive ways. _Guess it's hard for a child to understand...  
_  
"He's about a little younger than me, by maybe a year. In fact Lloyd, he is one of the ones that saved the world during the Kharlan War. Remember your History...?"

The little child tried to rub his head, making sure that his hair was in more-or-less the same position as it should normally be (which was all nice and spiked up in a cute sense... By then, the red head had already given up on trying not to think his son was not cute and just allowed himself to use those words. At least in his head...). _Nope. It seemed he forgot some MORE History...  
_  
But as of right then, the red head had a much bigger time on his hands. Like trying to find out how they were discovered by the Renegades. That encounter was not a mere little mishap. It was impossible that some random Renegade on scouting mission would have found them. It was a planned action.

It was something he could not tell to his son. Already he might have nightmare about this certain encounter. Not every day that your life was suspended on a few simple words and decisions. To make matters worse, the Renegades now knew that the young Lloyd had... a natural _gift_ with Mana usage. He was afraid that they will not be able to go on outside until the young child... was not really young anymore.

"Lloyd. I think it is time for you to go on and fall asleep. Daddy has to go on and think about earlier today. Can you promise you'll be a good little Angel and fall asleep?"

Lloyd, who wanted to be a good angel, scampered off towards his room, which was the red head's room at the same time. He was too young to go towards his own room, so he slept with the father. Technically, the adult stayed in the room on the bed for he did not need sleep, but the presence of the red head being there was all that Lloyd needed to sleep peacefully. It sometimes got Yggdrasil upset for having to wait until the child was asleep until the red head went to his duties, but if the kid did not sleep, he cried.

A lot.

So that was what allowed the red head to stay with his son... At _least_ until he was asleep if he had work. And today, he did. But at least he wasn't as unfortunate as Yuan and was able to do it inside the room. Of course, it was not going to be his work he was going to be doing until much later. The attack was a much better thing to be cautious about.

So, as he began to walk towards the room - his own room that was the color... white... - he kept his head at a normal level, but his mind was already far away. He told no one about his trip off towards the outside world. In fact, it was a trip that was practically unscheduled. No one should have known. It has worked for a long time, but now it seemed like the randomness of the traveling had a flaw.

Or... the unthinkable. There was a spy for the Renegades somewhere in Welgaia.

The sheer thought of someone betraying the unification of the whole world seemed atheist. Unreal. Incomprehensible. Why would anyone go against the organization of Cruxis...? _Then again. Many are dying because of us. I've done my share... By killing my sweet Anna._ The mere thought indeed had an effect on the red head as he rested himself right next to the sleeping form of the child. It was a frown that normally did not reach the features. A sorrow that re-formed back into his eyes. Sorrow at himself, sorrow at the world; anger for the people who started the whole thing on her body. Which was the Cruxis... The **Cruxis** did this. He _killed_ his own wife. _Anna... Is ridding our Lloyd of what makes him human wanted? Is that what you truly wanted by Angel of Change, even when I told you all about what it did to me, does to us? Yes, I remember your look. This is what you wanted in the end. Don't confuse yourself Kratos. Cruxis wanted to make a perfect, unified world that knows no difference. It was __your__ fault you fell in love with Anna. I should have done more to help her. Cruxis did that to her because they wanted to make a perfect world. Anna died because of you. Anna... died... because... _

_Because of Cruxis._

It was then that the red head thought of a reason as to why there would be a spy in the land of Welgaia. The perfect land that was not perfect at all.

---

"Wake up Lloyd. Today is a new day."

It was always a good way to start your day by meeting your son in the morning, especially after a long thought train going by you. It had been a promising night earlier, despite the irrational thought that the red head had thought about hours earlier. However, despite how many times he kept on reminding himself, it seemed to be that the last sentence he thought about still resonated in his head. _Anna died because of Cruxis._ It rang there, as clear as a bell that often rings when a world was 'saved' by the death of the Chosen. It was a thought he tried to get himself rid of. Cruxis was trying to unite the worlds and make things without wars and species hating...

Yet the thought was still there, trying to crawl its way out of the red head's mind and trying to reach for actions. He hoped that with time it would... be elsewhere in his mind, and not right there on the edge of it, wanting to pummel down into his throat.

"Daddy. You've gots that wierds look in yours eyes agains. That looks that only comeses out when yous thinkings!" Yes, it did seem like Lloyd was already up and getting ready to go on and leave the bed covers. He was already rubbing his eyes constantly to wake himself up in the dim lights of Welgia and its white rooms. The white rooms that tried to signify the purity of the land, but was not...

_No Kratos! Keep your head out of that thought! _

"Daddy?" asked the born head child. "Whats are wes goings to do todays? No more flyings outsides in Silviate?"

"Umm... it was Teddyalla that time," he muttered softly, still lost is a clash of thoughts. Teddyalla was Lloyd's special word for that world... because the real one was too hard for him to pronounce. That was understandable, and the red head had much bigger things to ponder about in his head anyways.

"Oh. Sorrys about thats Daddy... I'll gets it right next times!" said the happy Lloyd, blissfully unaware what was turmoiling the adults head was going through. It was going to be rough time in Welgaia if this certain angel could not keep his head, nor his priorities, straight.

As the child got all pounced up and roaring to go for the next new day of adventure and excitement, the red head angel was busy thinking hard about how to break the news to Yggdrasil. Being so bold would not be the best way to go on and try to get the Leader of Angel's attention if you were about to tell startling information that there was a spy among the Cruxis. Info about someone that was not trying to achieve the perfect, unified world. _That killed Anna!_ hissed his thought as he attempted to suppress it once again. He was going to have to find a way to gain an audience with the leader, yet somehow he did not feel like truly doing it. Like as almost as if something was holding him back.

He took one glance back at Lloyd, who was busy trying to add the many clasps of belts onto him. That always took every angel a long time, mainly because like there was too much white, there were far too many clasps. On average, it sometimes took the child five minutes to get all suited up. Once he did, it looked rather odd. Most angels were blond or half-elf at some point in their life. The child was a brown head that easily stood out on a white suit (Yet again, white. The red head felt like dying every time he saw white...) and was not a half-elf by blood, but human. At least... half-human. Or half angel. Or... whatever it was that the red head was. It could also be two-thirds angel as the child was already undergoing the transformation.

Upon dwelling upon these thoughts, the red head immediately forgot that there was a spy he had to tell upon as he helped his son buckle down the last buckle. It surprised him that the child never fell down and couldn't get up from the sheer weight of so many buckles!

---

Today, nothing much was going to be on the agenda. He had to finish up those maps of Mana deprived areas and give the results towards Yggdrasil by the end of the month. Already he was almost done, and the ambush didn't send him as far back as he thought it might have. It ended up that most of the Mana depriving areas still had enough Mana for living. However, he estimated that in about another fifty or forty years the land would become uninhabitable. He wondered if this Chosen One was going to be the one that was to actually make it into the Tower of Salvation. Too many have failed already, and the last one died because of the Renegades. It was tragic, and **no one** wanted to be sitting next to Yggdrasil - or being summoned by him - for a year afterwords. He had a habit of... _removing_ those who failed to properly aid the host.

The red head's son was already off doing what the child loved to do the most during the afternoon time. Fall asleep. Take long naps. Dream dreams. That always brought a small pang to his heart. _Enjoy them now Lloyd... You'll never have them again once you become an angel like me..._ He shook his head. Anna wanted that. Best not make himself sorry over what she wanted. Maybe he does not know the reason as to why she asked now, but he might in the future...

Yuan was walking ahead from the red head. The blue hair was swaying back and forth as he made one foot step in front of the other. Usually Yuan was not around the Tower because Yggdrasil sent him to go and check upon the life of the Wilder clan. Which was something that he had to face often. The next Chosen on that part of the world's side was always... getting a _bit_ out of hand. He constantly was running around and getting himself into trouble. Already around ten and was already checking out women at least ten to fifteen years older than him. The red head was glad he did not have the blue head's job...

"Kratos. There you are. I have been wondering what you have been doing lately. Where is Lloyd?"

The red head had to turn over towards the blue haired man. "He is sleeping,"

"Lucky..."

"-and I am currently walking around as there is not much else for me to do. That is, unless you consider more maps I must find for double checking on the Mana supply. I am almost done, but it is always best to double check."

"You make it seem like I am your son or something," muttered Yuan as he began to walk down towards the corridor where Kratos had just exited. "Yggdrasil reports that somehow the Mana Cannon survived the initial destruction. Somewhere in the worlds in a cannon waiting to be used. Guess who got the job to find it..."

The red head internally sighed. Yuan seemed like in a disappointed, sarcastic mood today... "Yours?"

"Yup. Last thing we need is this in the hands of the Renegades. Or some Desians that wish to be 'the ruler' without noticing the best they'll be able to do is blow themselves up."

It was silent for a while as the red head began to walk away. In the distance, Yuan brought up a last sentence:

"Funny how Kvar wanted to rule Cruxis with the Cannon and the Angellus Project. I truly thought that one of his own Desians killed him for it."

The red head had already practiced this lie millions of times. Even Yggdrasil fell for it.

"He wanted to rule. It was his fault for messing with the Seraphim."

With that, the red head began to walk away towards his destination, the map/library room. It was a quiet room filled with books. All of them were in perfect condition, mainly because the mindless angels - _Not mindless Kratos. __**Unified.**_ - tended them like as if they were themselves. Each book was highly polished, wrapped in gold and _white_ ribbon tassels, showing obviously Welgaia's taste.

And then there was Lloyd, sitting in a chair, reading an all-around spell book.

That actually caught the red head by _surprise_.

"Lloyd. What are you doing here? Are you not sleepy?"

To answer back, the brown-head lifted his cute, little head. "Nots really Daddy. I wases tryings to fall asleeps, but I _reallys_ wanteds to learn Holy Lance!"

Trust your child to stay awake to find out how to do Holy Lance in a spell book when he really was supposed to STAY asleep. If he took his nap later, the red head knew he was going to have a hyper-active child around midnight (following a timeline in a world that had time dealing with the sun)... Now he knew for sure he wasn't going to get any work done.

"Well... Fine Lloyd. Just promise to fall asleep before one. I don't want you up at one in the morning like last month. You even had sugar then. Remember the mess you made?"

The brown-head smiled, keeping the book on the table. "I mades a big messy, didn'ts I?"

The red head sighed. It was more than just a "big messy".

---

Days flew into months.

Months flew into years.

Eventually, the little young brown-haired boy grew up into a teenager looking lad, with the same brown hair, if spiked up by a smidjit.

Already an angel in body.

Now it was to be official.

---

"Dad, when you were summoned to be an angel by ceremony, were you nervous too?"

The red head was busy going over the teen's white and silver clothing. Buckles. Why was it _always_ buckles? There were more buckles this time around, and it was in a theme following the red head's own outfit. _Like father, like son._ he thought, tightening the ones around the left side of Lloyd while the teen was busy doing the ones on the right.

The red head finished the last clasp when he stood up tall, watching his son like as if almost for the first time. In fact, if you added the fact that the lad was now wearing his wings in plain sight and in the proper angel clothing, it was his 'first' glance. The silver and blue-green wings gently flapped back and forth, leaving the golden dust on the ground around them both. The red heads own pair of blue wings were also out of his own back, flapping subconsciously as the adult was fixing the son's collar.

"Actually, Lloyd," replied the father, adjusting a clasp that fell open due to improper buckling, "I had no ceremony. Yuan and I were angels without much of a ceremony, but that was because we were busy trying to plan out the idea for the unified world. You, on the other hand," he continued, this time tying down a belt around his son's waist - the second one to make a "X" shape on his waist - and making sure it was in the right hole, "is the first Seraphim in four thousand years. Reminal would love to have your head. However..." PLINK, there went a buckle on the back. He knew he should have done that one a hole bigger. Lloyd wasn't a walking stick... "He is busy going off and beginning to make the Oracle at Isleia for the next host, the Chosen One. And he is also not liked well among us, so we gave you the slot."

"But Dad, there was a slot for a new Seraphim?"

CLINK, there went on the last buckle, finally. "Not really. In a sense yes, but it was only available for you. Yggdrasil seems to be highly interested in your skills. More interested in **both** of us working together. Remember your first practice with him watching you on your twelfth birthday?"

"Yah," said Lloyd while fixing the belts around a bit so he would be able to stand without his wings being folded up irritantly. "He kinda freaked me out a bit when he saw us work together."

"Don't worry about it," the red head replied while reaching for two twin swords that rested on the table off towards the side. The two belts that his son had on had two little lots specifically designed to hold the two sword cases if Lloyd ever had to fix them within the next millennium. Placing them both in their designated areas, he added the swords, then took a step back to admire his son.

Signs of being an angel was often hard to find on the boy. Gone were the days when he could drink water because he _needed_ too, breath air because he _had_ too, eat because he was _required_ too... and dream because that was what the mind liked to do.

Despite all of that, however, he looked average. No coldness in the eyes, no signs of really missing those things much (he was sure his son did, like he missed them, but perhaps not as much because he was grown up to know he was going to lose them eventually) that made him human or at least somewhat human. A normal human would think him one of their own. That is, unless they tried to outlive him. Like the father, the son's metabolism had stopped. Forever.

"Ready Lloyd? Best not keep Yggdrasil waiting."

"Do you think Reminal will be there? It would be rather funny to rub it in his face that _I'm_ the new Seraphim and not _him_..." Yes, Lloyd even kept his funny.

"We shall see Lloyd, we shall see," the red head replied as they entered the hallway that lead towards the main area of Welgaia.

There was a new Seraphim to be named.

----------

_Retouched - [4.23.2009]_


	5. Chapter 5

_Angels of Cruxis  
by: Fehize_

_----------_

_Indignation_

------

The time was around three months after the attack upon the angel in training, a beloved son, and the Seraph, another angel that was very important to the Cruxis society. The scenery around the City of Angels, the city called Welgaia to most people when they ignored the fancy title that it was dubbed, was the same as it had been for thousands upon thousands of years. The same purple and black filled with stars shinning in the background were still there, keeping on their shinning over the years. Only once had that sky had any changes with the red head around. Once, maybe around two years ago, one of the redder stars among the background shinned brightly for a few moments, then disappeared. It was such a wonderful sight that the red head made sure that his little son stayed awake to see it from the beginning to the brief end.

_"Whats was its... Da-Daddy..." yawned the sleepy child that wanted to fall straight asleep after seeing such an amazing sight. "Wa-Wases prettys..." _

_"It was a supernova, Lloyd. It's when stars die."_

_"Do stars goes... offs to Heavens... like wheres Mommys is?"_

_"..." The red head had nothing to say there for a while. All he did right then and there was hold his child tightly. The kid buried his head down into the adult's stomach, making it rub back and forth. The child was trying to do something that the adult personally liked to call 'fuzzing up' to the adult. It was a 'technique' than the young lad did when he wanted the father not to move anywhere, and the red head only gladly did so._

_"Mommy was making sure it had a nice ride to Heaven, Lloyd..."_

_"Ahhss... 'Nights..." _

_The red head, along with his son, were the only ones who actually stopped what they were doing and watched the star as it faded away. Every other angel were doing what they were doing, making sure that everything was nice and safe. Nothing was wrong with anything, of course, but they ignored the skyline._

So it was just them too. Oddly, except for the missing of a certain woman named Anna, there was content there in the air. Just the two of them, one asleep and one awake.

And there was Lloyd again, but now five, hovering near the pant leg of his father, making sure that the red head never left the child's own personal sight. It was a small hand that gripped onto the pants, making quite a color contrasting difference between tanned peach skin and the silver and white buckles. The red was pondering wither he could possibly dye his dark purple...

"Scared Lloyd? Don't worry. Lord Yggdrasil is not in a super angry mood today. You'll be fine..." Together, they were walking down towards the area where Yggdrasil was waiting for both of them. In about two months, the red head could not really keep it such a secret from the Leader of Angels that his son could cast Mana at a level high above normal. _However_, the red head did twist the truth a bit, telling that the young one only knew his ground and lightning type to the intermediate level, saying nothing about anything else. That was only nodded slightly for a bit, but then the leader that was formally known as Mithos was called elsewhere.

Then, seven days ago, the young child accidentally casted Indignation upon the books in library, in attempt to "kill a bug" that was actually a buckle strap that clinked with a loud noise that startled the child. There apparently seemed enough skills to then cast that horrifying move, and in turn, it burned the book he was reading (along with all of the tables and books surrounding the "bug" in a general circular radiance) into a bundle of crispy remains. The angels went a-muck, thinking it was an attack from Renegades.

They in turn, began to attack his son, who freaked out (being only five and a half) and then casted Indignation yet again, followed by Angel Feathers and Gravity Well. Needless to say, the angels that were **supposed** to guard the library filled with ancient and priceless texts were... 'defeated' and 'hurt' a lot by a mere child.

This sort of action, that much use of Mana within a general area, was not felt unnoticed by the leader of the angels, nor any other form of _unified_ angels. In a rush, almost every angel rushed into the room that was still filled with books if not for a charred hole in the center, running not into an army of Renegades...

But a small, wailing child, crying for his father that was then busy working in the land of Teddyalla, as instructed.

After a brief yelling and scolding from the angels, mainly the chief one that was telling the child that those books were probably worth more than the child's trouble - that did get the adult man _**infuriated**_ once he found out later the next evening - before storming out and leaving the child in his room.

By the time the father arrived back at the Tower, the young child was wailing up a storm, then rushed straight into his father's arms before telling everything from his point of view.

Now...

Now the Leader of Angels was wanting an audience with the young child, perhaps to think of something along the lines of last weeks performance.

"Hush, Lloyd. Don't worry. If he begins to yell at you again, I'll be there to help you. I promise."

The young child seemed to be perked up by that saying. It seemed all that he really wanted then was a father that was to say everything was going to be alright, that everything was going to stay fine, and that 'Daddy' will be there to make sure nothing ever went wrong. After all, that was what fathers were for, and the child knew he had a great one. _Great? I don't know if I'll consider myself great... Anyways, if Yggdrasil gives Lloyd a yell, I'll make him pay...  
_  
Those rebellious thoughts seemed to come more often to the red head angel.

It wasn't as much as a bother anymore, as long as they didn't go _too_ out of hand...

Together, father and son reached the area where a whole array of armed guards were surrounding the area near Yggdrasil, an angel that was only called Lord when the red head was talking to others outside of Yuan and Lloyd. And of course Anna in his head...

"Kratos. I am glad you decided to come and show up as I asked of you. As you can perhaps guess, I summoned you and your little son Lloyd about the child's... _incident_ last week. Now, we must take matters in our own hands."

With that, the Lord of Angels turned his head down to face the scared child eye to eye. Of course, Lloyd was terrified. This was his first **real** meet with the blonde haired, white dressed child-who-makes-himself-currently-look-like-a-man. All during his life, the young lad only heard of the man from the stories given to by his father. And those stories were specially told in ways that talked about the adventure to stop the Kharlan Wars... NOT at all about the blonde angle's current aspect. So, doing what terrified children loved to do, sneaked his body to hide behind the red heads, clutching on tighter than before.

"It seems your son does not wish to see me..."

"He is only a child, Lord Yggdrasil. Leave him be."

"A child that should have known better than to go on off towards the library and burn everything in sight."

The red head defended his son, hiding the slight bit of anger rising in the inside of his soul. "He only _crisped_, not charred, the covers of a couple of spell books that we have plenty of copies of. If you ignore the fact that they may no longer have a cover to deal with, they are in still usable condition. It was not as if they were original books covers to begin with. It is nothing to get angry at."

"But he _crisped_ them, none the less! Each book is around two thousand years old!"

"Yet we live," the red head muttered to himself.

"Pardon, Kratos? Is there something you wish to say to me?"

The red head looked up, facing the leader as if in some invisible challenge of words. "If I recall, you yourself burned some books - actually **burned** them, not merely _crisping_ them - when you were younger on our travels so many years ago. If this does not bring some justification, I can recall they were my own personal books and that I did not punish you at all. So there. A book for a book."

It was silence for a while as the Lord of Angel's wings flapped back and forth, leaving the glittery dust everywhere around that certain angel. The red head had his arm reach towards the back end of his body, reaching for the small child that was there, slowly bringing his little trembles to a halt. He gave a comfort squeeze.

"Fine Kratos. He will go unpunished. But if he is to ever even _fold_ a page on another book of mine, he will not be so lucky."

With that, the red head turned himself around, making sure that his brown-haired child was now in front of him, and was not viewable to Yggdrasil. The child did not really want to move along anywhere. Getting down, he reached forwards and picked up his child by the waist and watched as the young one cuddled closer, finally ending with a burying of the head, hiding from the whole world around him.

"Kratos, before you go, I wish to tell your son to keep up his training. Indignation is a difficult spell to muster. He must be rather well rounded to know such a thing. He could be a very good asset to us in the future."

As the red head continued to stroll down the pathway back towards his room, he thought angrily in his head. _An __asset__? Lloyd is NO asset! He is a being with thought, something far more important than a mere 'asset'! You make it seem like he really is nothing more than a tool to use. _

_You'll see. He will be no tool. He is not your mindless little angel to use to your advantage. I'll make SURE he knows he has a mind well enough to use. Maybe then you can see him as a good partner, and as my son, and not an asset that is used once before discarded away!_

_"Thanks Daddy. You makes me feels betters."_

The adult, the father, the thinker, turned his head over towards his son, making sure to give his son a heart-warming - if small - smile that was saved for only two people in his life. A _real_ angel called Anna, and his angelic son, Lloyd. "That's what fathers are for Lloyd. Come on, lets get your favorite to eat for lunch."

"Yahs!" exclaimed the child. It was well that he got easily distracted from things that could possibly make him feel bad.

------

The hallway where the two angels were walking through was left empty. Everyone else was waiting around towards the area that was temporary called the 'Celebration Central', where Lloyd was to get formally named as a Seraphim, and not a mere angel that listened to orders. No. Lloyd was going to be the highest ranks of an angel, aside from leader, and order _others_ around. Be treated as a being with a mind and not...._Hmm....  
_  
The color scheme was still the same, as was to be expected, frankly. However, the vivid colors of the two angels hair was enough to distinguish themselves among the empty hallways. Together, they walked side by side, mainly looking on ahead. One seemed nervous, the other, filled with calm. At least, on outward appearances - if only on the outside.

"Dad... What do you do as a Seraph?"

The red head turned his head and then arched his eye as he faced his son. "Do? Other than get meaningless tasks, making sure the Journey of Regeneration will be done complete. I have to do baby-sitting sometime next week for around a couple of weeks, if not months. On top of that, some mercenary business on my own whenever I get bored." He gave the brown-head a small smile. "I thought you knew that already."

"Only 'cause you complained about it, Dad!" the brown head exclaimed. Clink, there went a buckle. _Oh bother. Another reason why I hate those things...  
_  
"Lloyd, you need to know how to put those things on correctly. Lately, all the ones that have been popping open have been yours..." he sighed, watching as the brown head blushed embarrassingly as he tried to buckle them on in the _correct_ fashion.

"Sorry Dad!" he said as he fumbled around, finally doing it right. "Last thing we need is having one of them pop open and hit Yggdrasil in his face, eh?"

The red head allowed himself to chuckle as they were almost at the area that they needed to be. "That would have been very amusing..."

Together, the father and son reached the area where all of the angels that were not already busy doing other things were waiting for them. Reminal was there, just as Lloyd had wished only earlier - _Betcha he is killing Lloyd a million ways in his head..._ - keeping a mere blank face, but the red head knew better. Yuan was there, which was surprising, considering that he was _supposed_ to find that cannon thing, and do whatever he was told to do. Pronyma was there as well. That was not really all that surprising as she was practically everywhere Yggdrasil was, and she had to be there to see someone rise above her. A Seraphim was higher than the Leader of the Grand Five Cardinals, you know. Even though she owned a... Human... area - _the one that held Anna! _hissed his mind. _The place where they USED Anna to make into the very Exsphere that you are hiding from Cruxis under Lloyd's clothing! They killed her! Cruxis killed her! Cruxis!_ Once again he forced himself to stop... He was beginning to think dangerously irrational again. - that Kvar once held before his... demise, she was hardly ever there to actually go on off and order them around. Lower Desians took care of it for her as she mopped up Yggdrasil's floor with her little floating feet. It was often despicable sometimes.

Even the Lord of Angels was there. He had to be. He was the one who really thought up of Lloyd being a Seraphim. It came up with some weird logic as well. All of the other angels around had solid wings (including Reminal, who was twitching slightly as Lloyd was walking by with the red head), signifying that they were not of the proper class to become an angel of that importance. They wore robes or dresses as well, each with different designs saying about what they signified. The richer the color on robes, the higher the importance. Most angels had a plain white robe with a different colored vest (the only ones not them were the soldier angels that either wore black or white, having their swords, bows, or spears nearby). These were the normal angels. Following them were the soldiers. Next came the fewer angels that had colored robes. They were higher than the plain white robed angels, and actually had feathers floating around them when they left. (Reminal was obviously one of them, and was now basically outright cursing Lloyd.) Then, _highly_ after them were the Seraphim, who's color was a pristine white... and filled with buckles. These angels - the Seraphim - had translusive wings, glittering with Mana, and was only on the backs of four. Yuan, Yggdrasil, Kratos, and Lloyd. No other angel could boss them around, none could exactly tell them what to do, none save Yggdrasil. He was the leader angel, and represented the utmost pure thing in the world (save his sister, Martel, who he swears that she is the purest thing in existence), thus his outfit was white, but had no buckles at all.

So, when it was noticed that Lloyd had translucent wings and not solid ones, the leader was interested. When it became apparent that the child had an excellent knowledge on Mana, like the other Seraphims did, the leader became intrigued. Thus, when two of the Seraphims fought together as father and son, that was when the leader became acknowledged. The pair was not one to underestimate. Suddenly, Lloyd was being taught by the whole Seraphim trio. Battle strategies, incantations, knowledge, the whole works (mainly done by the father, of course). It was like when all of the ex-friends were suddenly friends again, back on their trip to save the world, but just with a new member. Things went rather well (and Yggdrasil seemed more tolerable and more friendly than normal, if that was too be believed) as the months past. Eventually, Yggdrasil stopped for his own reasons and returned back to the normal Yggdrasil, and that left only Yuan and Kratos (and Lloyd at around eight) to teach the child.

Time passed, naturally, and now there was to be a new high-ranked angel.

"Here we go Lloyd. Remember, try your best not to act nervous. It won't take long. None of the angels truly like long ceremonies, so you won't have to put up to it forever." It was some wide advice that the father whispered to his son, and the brown haired smiled and accepted it, trying to let the jitters inside the teen's stomach die down.

Eventually, over a few moments, everyone quieted down and got settled. Yggdrasil was there at his spot, and standing right next to him was Yuan. The two family members stood up on the platform and entered the area where the Seraphim were waiting. The red head took his place next to Yggdrasil, then turned around to face his son, this time as a Seraphim more than a father. On the inside however, it was father through thick and thin. _This is what you wanted Anna. Lloyd will be a real angel now. A Seraphim._ Lloyd was there, now standing in front of them all, alone.

"Lloyd Aurion, over the years of your existence as a member of the citizens of Welgaia, it has been apparent that you were one of a kind. For one, you were a child, not an adult form, and began as a mere Human, the son of a Seraphim.

"Over the years, you experienced angelic growth for some strange reason that still baffles some of us here. Wither it be that your mother was angel as well, or your father's angelic influence changed your body, we may never know. That as it is, you began to excel at years before other normal angels."

It was now the blue-haired Yuan's turn to say something. "You picked up things quickly and noticeable, nearly destroying some irreplaceable things in doing so. Despite that, you pulled on forwards, even going beyond the _'Noiuse Incident'_ in which almost ruined some important work..." The red head almost laughed out loud there, but knew far better. _'Noiuse Incident'? Well... if you think about what almost happened, yah, I can understand why they gave it an 'incident' title.  
_  
"And got even better." That finished the blue hair's turn, and now it was the father's.

"Lloyd, you show great capabilities to be the next Seraphim. Do you accept?"

"Yes!" The enthusiasm was obvious. Maybe the red head should say that the next time something like this happened again, it was not a game show. One had to be serious at times... Or at least serious on the outside...

"Before you do... again," continued the red head. "Do you swear to help Cruxis along its mission to go and unify the world-" _What about Anna! NO! Cruxis wants to help the world! Keep focus!_ "-to make it a better place. A world that Martel wanted?"

"Yes!"

(Personally, the red head wondered if his son wanted the title only to go out into the world at last, and travel with his father. As a Seraphim, he _would_ be able to do that...)

"Then I hereby proclaim you as the forth Seraphim, Lloyd Aurion," finished Yggdrasil. "Now that the ceremony in over, I already have a job for both you and your father."

The red head was already next to his son, and they both faced the leader. Everyone else was already beginning to fly away, off towards what they were doing before. No doubt at least mentioning to each other that they know had to treat Lloyd as someone higher than them now. No longer could they call him 'Child-Who-Trips-Us', but as 'Lord Lloyd' (which sounded rather odd to the father's ear).

"As you know, the Renegades are about, and they would apparently want to kill the Chosen before she goes on off towards the Tower of Regeneration. I want both of you to go and protect her until the ritual is done. She lives in Iselia, and it would be best if you meet her at the Chapel."

With that, Yuan spoke up. "Both of them, Lord?"

"Yes, both. Lloyd needs to look around at what Cruxis does, and Kratos is best suited as he is already known as a mercenary down there on the surface world.

"It would be best if you leave tomorrow. I hope that there is enough clothing ready for you two by then."

The two angels nodded, then began their leave. Once they both reached their rooms, the brown haired broke into a large grin.

"Did you _see_ the look on Reminal's face? He was **furious**! What a loser!"

The red head sighed and shook his head is disapproval. "Lloyd..."

His son smiled sheepishly. "Ok, maybe not a loser. How 'bout sucker?"

The red head only shook his head some more...

----------

_Retouched - [4.23.2009]_

_The 'Noishe Incident' is actually a chapter a bit later on.  
Call it a filler if you so wish~_


	6. Chapter 6

_Angels of Cruxis  
by: Fehize_

----------

If you believed in the concept of time that existed on the worlds far below, then you came not from the City of Angels. Here, time was something irrelevant, only there to remind the citizens of the years that have passed since the last possible host. It has been many, many years since the Mana deprived world produced a Chosen, and now it has gone on far too long. The Mana that was on that world was depriving faster than anticipated, analyzed by the red head many years ago. Triet, the desert city or town, was losing its water supply slowly, and by twenty-five years time the desert will surround the areas nearby. Now was not a time for the Chosen to go on by themselves with a mere group of travelers. Now it was time for the High Seraphim Angels themselves to intervene with the world far below them. Something that has not been done in a long time. The first Chosen, Spiritua, was guided, but the others simply did not. Of course, the Renegades were not existent yet either.

Inside Welgaia, the angels that were to be sent down upon the ground below were getting prepared to move on like other Humans. Something they used to be, at one point or another. The brown-haired was busy trying to find something stuffed under some desks, and the red head was packing up some herbs that were provided by Yuan. They were herbs to heal them without using Mana, and that was to be important. The world below them was not supposed to know that they were angels, and it would be obvious if either one of them did some highly advance spells that was not normally done by mercenaries.

"Ok, Lloyd. I have the healing items all nicely done. How about you? Any luck trying to find a suitable outfit?" That was his son's newest and latest trouble. Trying to find something to wear. Everything in the general area was white or silver. NOT a color you really wanted to wear down on the surface Mana deprived areas. First of all, white was a showy color, buckles were quite a noticeable statement, and there was enough dust to make even the whitest white go dingy brown. Or peach if you lived by sand. The teen was looking everywhere, from under the bed (used to rest their angelic bodies every once in a rare while, not really for actual sleep) to inside the area where all of their other angelic clothing was held. All he kept on finding, however, was nothing suitable for him.

"DAD! All we have here is white stuff or your purple mercenary outfit!"

The red head shook his head. "I told you all ready, there is nothing much you will find here in Welgia. We might have to go off towards Hemindal and get some clothing there. The may hate half-elves, but we are not them. Unless... you **want** to wear a purple outfit."

His son stuck his tongue out. "Dad! It may look good on you, but it will look horrid on me! Don't we have anything brighter? Like... blue? Or red? Heck, even GREEN might work out! Why the hell don't angels have color around here?"

The red head shook his head and looked the other way, sighing. "Some angels DO Lloyd. Reminal has color, but it looks like a robe. Unless you are insisting on leaving your swords behind and pretend to be a girlish looking mage, you'll have to keep on looking.

"Besides. What is wrong with purple?"

"It's... _purple_. Doesn't look good..." at that, the brown haired teen jumped up, "-except on you!"

The red head stared at the ceiling, sighing out loud. "Lloyd... you never complained about clothing before this whole thing came up only a few hours ago..."

But the brown head continued to be shacking his head around, trying to find something to put on. It was really weird to see, but it was still funny. It reminded the father of the time when his son was locked in the room, and was searching for a way out. The young kid searched through everything, ending up having to wait until the door went unlocked by the entering of the father in the room. It had ended up that the kid had locked himself out. It was rather funny to see for a brief moment, both laughing before going off to study.

"Dad... What are we going to do on this trip?" The teen was now standing up, brushing himself off of any possible dirt. Of course, there was bound to be none as Welgia was squeaky clean and had no dirt lying around, but the intention was still there. "I mean, exactly what are we supposed to be doing? Leading the Chosen to where?"

The red head took a deep breath. No matter how much drilling, most of the details of History were lost in that head of his son... "We are to lead the Chosen to the Summon Spirit seals and make sure she unleashes them. That in turn will increase the consumption of her body and turn her into an angelic host for Martel. Do you remember now?"

A big, sloppy grin was what the red head angel got back in return. "Opps. Sorry dad! I kinda forgot... But now I remember!" He paused for a second, already given up on searching for some decent clothing. That was to be expected. Not only was there no suitable clothing for a Seraphim outside of buckles, the only other option were indeed robes. And they were... _different_ looking robes too. That is, if you liked frills... "Hey, dad... How are we going to go and join them? I mean, it's not exactly like as we can just merely go on up towards them and go 'Hey Chosen! We are random people coming up and want to be hired to join your mission to go to the Tower! Oh, and before we forget, we are actually Seraphim and we want to kill your soul for your body! Be glad you are a chick 'casue you'll be infested with a female soul! Imagine being a dude and THEN being infested!' They would flip!"

The red head shook his head even bigger and wider in an arc. At every little moment, the brown-head was trying to add some sort of humor into their very dull lives. Being a Seraphim had its quirks, but normally, it was pretty dull. REALLY dull, kinda like one of those knifes that just came out of cutting open a piece of rock. Really big, really dense rock.

"Lloyd... If you really wanted to know... Yes, we are **both** going to go as mercenaries. Now, before you continue, Lloyd, no, we are not exactly going off to say _that_ to them. I am going to be Kratos there as well..."

"Can I still call you Dad?" asked the brown head as he was still shuffling back and forth between his things. It seemed that he gave up on trying to find an outfit at that current moment, but the father knew the teen was going to go back to go and retry later on in the night. "Or will I have to call you by 'nother name?"

The red head stopped for a moment to take a look at Lloyd, who's messy hair was falling over his face as gravity was bringing down from after searching upon the ground. "Sorry Lloyd, you can't exactly go on and call me 'Dad', 'father', or 'Daddy' anymore until the trip is over. First of all, I look rather _too_ young to be your biological father. I would have to have... conceived you at the age of something like ten if I was not an angel. It will bring up too much suspicion. Second of all, it would be best if the Chosen did not realize we were family. Renegades will be down upon the ground looking for her, and if they knew we were both there, they could endanger the Chosen's life, making us to reveal ourselves."

"What about the third? There is _always_ a third!"

"The third thing is that you need to find something to wear," said the red head with a small sigh. Once again, both of them went back towards packing, making sure the last of their supplies were there.

---

It was the following morning as the sun was beginning to shine high up above. It was going to be rather odd way to start the death of a Human, but the three Seraphim there waiting upon the edge of the Tower had not regards for that host's life. After all, she was just going to be a host and nothing more. Yggdrasil was away, checking up on things as the time passed. Perhaps it was something dealing with the Desians, perhaps not, but the point was that he was not there to see the two Seraphims off. Not that he was expected to anyways... The red head still was uncomfortable on seeing the man hanging around his son, despite the teen's abilities. He believed it was because of those talents (when combined with the red heads own) that the Leader of Angels was watching them closer than ever before.

Yuan was there standing around. As one of the better friends - perhaps the best friend of the red head, the only friend really other than a certain little 'dog' - he was there to see both of them off on their own adventure. The blue hair was beginning to flap around and his black cape was gently billowing in the wind. Typical Yuan-like stance.

The son of one of the Seraphim was standing around, admiring his brand new clothing, which JUST so happened to be in a color he liked! Red. And black. Of course, there was maybe a _little_ bit of buckles, but it was enough for the red head to tolerate and the brown head to put on correctly. The shirt was red, and was long-sleeved. (Where as it was some sort of arm-guards made of cloth that the father was wearing) The pants were actually some sort of overalls that seemed to be just the right style for the brown-head, which was rather odd to think about... Mainly because he wore white practically ALL HIS LIFE! The stance was not really a stance at all. It was more like a 'I-can't-believe-I-am-outside-after-all-of-these-years!' type of look. The brown head was turning back and forth, swishing in the wind more than the blue head's ponytail.

"Yuan. Where in the _worlds_ did you find those clothing? Defiantly not in Welgaia."

Yuan turned around. "A long time ago, I ran into some nice things in a box down on one of the worlds while taking care of one of the leaders of the Desian ranch. I couldn't buy one of those things one by one, so I got everything in that box. Someone left a dwarf outfit for some REALLY big fellow dwarf, apparently, and I never took a fonding to it. So, there. That was where I found it."

"THANKS YUAN!" screamed the teen loudly as he ran around in his new clothing. The red head turned his head back and forth. _If I wasn't his father and someone told me he was a Seraphim, I would think that person crazy or something along those lines. How could such a hyper-active child be a Seraphim?_ Lloyd tripped down and landed with a splat. _Oh bother..._

Yuan stood up and shook his friend's, the red head's, hand and said good-bye for then. Then, with a small wave, the man was gone from sight. The red head then turned around, back to his all-to-eager son. Who, of course, was ready to go on towards the world of Slyverate.

"Lloyd. There is something you have to know before we continue. We have to make our strength seem like the others, which means we have to act like the other Humans. Which means no massive spells like the ones you have been using lately until they know something akin to them. ALSO, no using any of our angelic ones as well. That is **forbidden**. Let the Chosen do and hassle around with that as well. We must also delay our spells unless they give us an item that makes us do it a bit faster. The bigger the spell, the longer the delay." The red head could see the teen bring about a small whinny frown upon his face. The biggest pet peeve that his son had was holding back. That was to be expected as he WAS the red head's son... "NO FLYING. If anything else, _**please**_ Lloyd, stay away from the flying with your wings unless with my permission! And call me Kratos, remember. Not father..." The red head seriously wondered if the child was really getting all of that...

"How are we supposed to go on and get there then? Kratos?" finished the son with a small giggle.

With that, the adult unfurled his wings that rested within his body, hidden from the rest of the world unless the father wished them to be seen. "We fly towards the temple there ourselves, of course. Walking will take too long, and by then the Renegades would certainly have found out about the beginning of the Oracle. We'll take the scenic route of course..."

"Sweet!" cried the teen as he punched the air above with his fist as his own set of glittering wings unfurled from within his own angelic body. With a small loop-de-doop, the teen rose himself from the ground below. Everything seemed to be a game for that child... At least he wasn't complaining.

So, together, they both rose their bodies off from the ground below and made their ways towards the proper destination in the far distance. The sky was perfect, for flying as the sun was warming the area enough to have clouds high above the skyline for excellent coverage. Not to mention that flying on the tops of the clouds made for a spectacular show. All of the clouds around them were white and puffy, like some child-like dream.

After a couple of moments, the brown head turned to look at his father. "Dad..."

"Lloyd...?"

"Sorry dad! It's just that no one is exactly around, unless they can fly! Anyways, I meant to ask you a small question anyways..." The voice seemed to fall down a little bit, almost as if it was a question that was suspended upon the lips, but was uncertain if he should speak it out. Finally, the red head's son finally did so. "Dad... Is mom... somewhere up here? Here, high in the clouds? I mean, since we lived in Heaven... does that mean that mom went to the air?"

"We do not live in Heaven, Lloyd... We call ourselves angels, but we are not those things. That title belongs to your mother. We live in Welgaia, and your mother is watching over you despite she is no longer here." They were words of a past that the red head once had, a past he hardly ever talked about.

The rest of the flight was done in silence. A memorial for a wife and mother who was the true ruler of the Heaven high above.

----------

_Persuasion_

----------

The child was still fast asleep in the young red head's arms as the father entered the shadow of a large tower in the far distance. The sorrow that was evident in the man's eyes was there, but no tears truly flowed. Tears coming from the body of that man would be hard to be done, almost impossible in fact. Such was the fate of an Angel of Cruxis, one of the Seraphim. If the tears could not run, one look at the man's eyes could see that something great was lost, but something else was missing from his soul. Something that was stripped away horridly. A precious thing that could not return.

Upon reaching the shadow, the birds we already long gone by then as they were returning to their own nests to feed the young, the man receded down from the sky that he was flying among. Like birds, there was a limit to how far he was able to fly right then and there. The small child in his hands - the small baby - could go no further than the birds. With a small thud of boots reaching the ground below, the man finally landed back upon the ground. With a few, short walks, the adult made his body continue on forwards, heading towards the giant Tower that was only viewable for the members of the red head's organization. Upon entering the tall, silver looking building that stretched high upon the skyline, the man continued towards a magical warping pad that made the man and baby enter a different room that was filled with smoke tinted with the sorrowful colors of blue and black. These colors reflected the man's soul as of right then. Empty and hard.

In the smoke filled area that held the coffins of those Chosen that have failed over the years, there was a special warp like passage that was able to send any angel to go up high towards the angelic city of Welgaia. It was there that the red head adult was walking over towards. It seemed to be a normal pace, but something about the way that the man walked was not right. It was awkward. Very strange indeed. Especially if the man was know for his attitude... an attitude of not showing what he felt.

With a changing shift in colors, the man was gone, as was the child. They were now both in an area filled with many other winged angels, all kinda of just floating around, ready for almost anything to come up... merely for the fact that they did not react to anything much. However, once they saw the red head man enter from the center warping area, one of the black clothed girl angels went off to go send a message, her sword tucked away. Immediately, there was a hoard of angels around the area, all waiting for the reason as to why the Seraphim himself was late.

Late and with a child.

Hurriedly the crowds of angels was see for all around, waiting for the high angel himself to come on in and enter the area. It was unusual for this to happen, a Seraphim being late. There was most certainly some sort of talk coming around that was trying to bring up certain types of reasons as to why. In fact, now with the child there, the angels were all muttering about as to "Yes, I have recognized him to be tardy for almost three years now. You?" "Lord Kratos is back. He has been tardy, you are correct in your assumption." "A child? A child? With what being?" "Angel, I will hope." "Yes, it must be an angel."

To the red head, standing in the middle of it all, he heard those things; ignored them. He was a single red dot standing in the middle of a great white sea, filled with feathers to the very brim. He was standing there for a reason. And that reason was the exactly the same one that made the talkative ones begin to hush up, stand aside, and float in their most honorable ways.

The red head was still looking up, and was able to see exactly as to what they were all treating with reverend. It was the leader of them all himself, inside Welgaia from his castle high up in the area of which he lived. Though the red head was looking as if he was normal on the outside... it wasn't until you saw his eyes could you see that it was just a big lie. The outside was almost a shell right then and there; a shell that was going to have to talk to the Leader of the Angels and be the Speaker for the baby's future.

"There has been word that you have arrived here after quite some time, Kratos. And with a small bundle, it seems. I came here to make sure that one of those rumors were **false**. It seems that I was incorrect in my judgment. You, a Seraphim, _have a CHILD?_" Those last words were erupted in a scream. No, not a scream. A whispering yell that was soft enough for no one to hear... except everyone.

"Come over here, Kratos. We must talk about the horrid deed that you have just done to the perfect world." With this, the leader turned his head over towards one of the angels that was standing by, ready to keep this day's 'lecture on a Seraphim' in memory. "Reminal, go on ahead and make sure that Yuan comes here at once. There is a major crisis on our hands-"

"Lloyd. His name is Lloyd Aurion and he is going to stay here in Welgaia."

There was some silence as the words were pressed out among the area. It was not a plead. Not a request. Not even a wish nor desire. It was a _command_, a command given by one of the Seraphim to the leader of them all. A command voiced in a way that was to make sure that the speaker knew exactly as to what he was saying, and was not at all afraid for perhaps going beyond his line of authority. No one was supposed to speak like that to the Leader. Not even a Seraphim.

Yet here was one.

"What did you just say, Kratos?"

"Lloyd is staying." And with that, the red head turned his head around and began to leave the area of the many angels. They all cleared the area around him, making sure that he had plenty of room to be able to go on and walk towards his quarters. Silence. Just a pure silence that rang through the halls like clear bells in the summer.

And strangely...

The Leader of the Angels, lord Yggdrasil himself, just stood there, watching the red head walk away with his command.

And did nothing except go back the way he came from...

------

_Retouched - [4.23.2009]_


	7. Chapter 7

_Angels of Cruxis  
by: Fehize_

_----------_

There seemed to be nothing but an endless sea of green far below them. Not only was it smelling of pine and all other sorts of deciduous trees (not much, but those types were very potent in smell...), but it was also smelling like... well..... pine cones. It ended up that it was the first sign of winter on the land that they were flying over. That was to be expected somewhat. There were signs inside Welgaia that it was beginning to be the climate change down on the surface world. In truth, the signs could be seen down by the large windows that surrounded the living quarters. The world below them was turning browns and white. Such a sight it was.

It seemed that the flight was taking shorter time than expected. That was because of the fact that the air was making the fliers go towards where they wanted to be on the stream of fast moving wind. Because of this, the red head had to tell the brown headed son that they had to land right about then, unless they wished to swim in from the sea that was right in front of them. So, as the mid-afternoon sun was beginning to rise hgh upon the wintry-touched land below them, the smell of winter's fury not so far away, the two beings landed with an undetectable noise. After all, what else could years of practice give? You did not merely train for this sort of thing unless you were going to put it into some use sooner or later.

The leaves were not yet fallen down upon the ground. Apparently the winter that was detectable by the air high above was not in effect in this valley of sorts. Perhaps it was just the smell of the sea from far away. _Or I could be thinking of Flanior where Yuan is, no doubt. Doing something I suppose..._ The grass around them was still a green color, and the air around them seemed to be a nice one. Not to hot, nor to cold. Of course, for the two Seraphim angels, this was not at all a problem. Heat? Cold? Such words had not much meaning to them. They could remember them, no doubt, could perhaps feel the effects of heat on their bodies, but in general, heat was nothing but a word.

"Umm... Kratos..." stared the red head's son in a manner that showed that he was still unfamiliar with calling his father something other than Dad or Daddy. The red head just hoped he wouldn't leak that out. On the bright side, if he **did** manage to say something other that Kratos it wasn't as bad as saying that they were from Cruxis. "Are we almost at the temple, Kratos?"

The red head walked over towards his curious son, who - no doubt - was already looking around at the things that surrounded him. The trees in the area were immense, taller than most things the teen had seen with his own two eyes. Of course, compared to the Tower of Salvation, they were nothing, but the lad had been cooped up inside that area for many, many years. Pulling out a small little tree branch that had gotten stuck into the child's (He always secretly called his son a child. It was what he will forever be in his heart) hair, the red head had to sigh. "Lloyd... You are going to have to improve in your skills of talking around. Just think of trying to fool Yggdrasil that it wasn't you who broke one of his statues. You acted pretty well then and made up a good story on the spot. So, come on. We still have quite a walk to do... little _trainee_."

The brown head gawked. "TRAINee? Aww man! Why do I have to be a trainee?" Apparently, the idea seemed to not resolve itself nicely in the boy's mind. Not that the red head expected it to be but...

"It's because you are too young to be master or anything like that sort. Just be glad I'm not calling you squire or something along those lines. Cheer up, Lloyd. You know I hate it when you..." Too late. Lloyd was putting on the pouty-mouth technique, and was laying on it good. The red head adult let out a bigger sigh, which moved his tuft of red hair off towards the sky for a mere moment. "Alright, _alright_. You can be my aquaintance. Now stop that! You can't be doing that and be expected to get what you want when we join the Chosen's group..."

His red head son smiled. "Aw, Dad, brighten up! If I can't do it anymore, at least that was the last time for goodness sakes!"

The red head, an adult mercenary, just sighed. Knowing his son... this 'last time' was not going to be his 'last time' for long...

---

The Temple of Martel, the temple for the sister of the Leader of the Angels, loomed right in front of them; the little beacon of light seemed to shimmer high into the sky. It was the light that was certain to call forth Reminal as well as alert any form of Renegade within a one hundred mile radius. Too bad that Yggdrasil wanted the light to stay as part of the ceremony. It would have been much better off for protection issues to turn it off.

"I betcha Reminal's going to be angry when he see's the both of us," snickered Lloyd.

"Lloyd! Remember!" Warned his father. Second blunder already and the red head knew that it was going to a hassle to keep the secrets that the teen knew inside his head for the duration of the journey. "You can't keep on saying these things, you know... I can't always say 'remember' either. Now, come on, let's go before they get into any trouble..."

And as if almost of exact queue... There right, ahead of both of the angels, was the Chosen's group. Which, in fact, was a small one that consisted of a tall half-elf and a small blonde girl. She seemed to be around maybe fifteen or sixteen. All that she wore was... the most dreaded color in the world. _White_. Not to mention the blue that bordered her outfit all the way around. On the bright side, it made a good color mix, and there was no buckles. She was holding her hands together and began to look around, mainly at the large building, keeping a nice look at the beacon of light high above her head. The red head blinked, then began to walk forwards, keeping a mental ear open for any sounds that did not belong there.

Together, the red head adult and his brown head son - a son who was considered a young baby when compared towards the other members of Welgaia - began to walk through the bush. The sun was beginning to just manage to hit through the green canopy tops, and then suddenly, they were both within a clearing that was in the area right next to a cliff-face that made the Temple of Martel easier to see with the bare eyes.

"Chosen One, I am so glad that you can make it here alright. Only a few minuets ago, the Desians attacked the priests. They currently left towards the village to go and try to find you." That voice came from the old woman that was resting her weight upon a wooden stave. (The red head secretly thought deep in his head about how he would have looked if he was still four thousand years old, but aged. Thank goodness nothing really came up into mind, but it was getting to be rather absurd, thinking about. The thoughts actually came from his son, who instilled them in his head earlier. Trust Lloyd to do something like that.) She was wearing a robe that resembled something one of the angels inside the city high above them would wear. A priestess outfit, which meant that no doubt that she was the one who took care of the Temple until the Chosen One entered. However, that only meant that her job was over as the Chosen was now entering.

"Lloyd, we must make sure she stays ok. Perhaps we can go offer our services right now." It came out like something a mercenary would tell his 'accomplice', so he just hoped that his son took the hint that he had to begin his acting skills right about then. Ended up he did..."Ready to get going, Lloyd?"

His son tried to bring upon his most serious face... which immediately fell down into a smile that was always seemed to be plastered there... "Sure, Kratos! I'm as ready as ready can be!"

With a jump, they both reached the base of the central area right in front of the large main fleet of stairs that protected the temple from outsiders. Looking at each other, they both began to climb up the stairs... Of course, the red head had to make sure that they were within sight. Not like there was going to be some Renegade right then and there. The red head Seraphim heard nothing, and he was confident (yet not over confident) of his hearing abilities. Eventually, after a few mere moments, they were at the top. Huge doors were hung open at their sides.

"Looks like we have some monster bashing, eh, Kratos?" smiled his son even bigger. Needed something to have its life taken out, and that thing happened to be a monster? No one was better at that job that the over-hyper new Seraphim angel... The red head tried to remember when he was like that. Was he? Can he remember that far? _Oh well... It's more fun seeing Lloyd do it anyways... To think this is before he has taken a bite out of sugar..._

The sounds of fighting were already very loud in the ears of the red head. He tried to ignore them, but the cries of monsters screaming, wooden stick smashing, and spells being casted was something that was _quite_ straining to the ears... Very straining. Of course, the red head could make sure his body was not outwardly showing any forms of twitching...

Less could be said about his son doing that though. With every major sound there was some sort of twitch that erupted from the lad's body. The bigger the sound, the more twitchier the twitch. Shacking his head slowly, the father of the son did a sigh out loud. "Lloyd... You'll have to find away to ignore it. I know it takes time, and it may hurt a bit-"

"A _**bit**_? Those sounds seem like they busted my fucking _ear drums_!"

"Lloyd..." said the red head in a fatherly you-are-in-trouble-if-you-say-that-again voice. "Mind your tongue, and LEARN to ignore it." The teen heard it, but automatically his hands went towards his ears to try to cover them. The red head took a deep breath and continued. "If you don't manage to learn to deal with it..." he began, healing the 'busted ear drums' to reassure the getting-better son. "It'll just get worse. Come on. I'll stay here for only three minutes before we have to go. Chasing after the Chosen is this temple is going to be easy, but we still have to go make sure she is protected."

"I thought you said no talking about it unless we back at-"

The red head helped push the child ahead. "I was whispering it. See, feel better now that you are ignoring the pain, right?"

It took a while, but then the red head saw his son smile, yet again. "Thanks, Kratos!"

---

"Professor! There are so many of them! How can we be sure to keep on going safely?"

The white haired woman took a look at the Chosen, a girl called Collette. "Don't worry about it Collette. Martel provides us for what we would need. Just keep having a little bit of faith!" With that sentence done, the normally calm teacher from the small town of Iselia rose her wooden staff and delivered a nice good THONK on the head of an approaching monster. Her red-orange robes flew up in the attack, but it was a thing to ignored. One monster hit, only four more to go. The problem was that there was far too many for just the two of them. They were going to have to finish the temple's secrets for two reasons. 1) Collette needed to get the Oracle before those Desians returned back from the town after finding out that the Chosen was already gone. And more importantly (to her) 2) THEY WERE INSIDE SOME REALLY RARE RUINS AND SHE JUST **HAD** TO GO AND FIND ALL OF THE SECRETS! OHOHOHOHO! Of course, the first reason was the main on, even if her fascination towards ruins tended her mind to think otherwise.

In the distance, one could see the massive hits that the teenager behind the white-haired adult was doing with her chakurams. They were floating over the air, acting like some sort of circular boomerang. Her blonde hair kept flowing behind her, like something alive when it clearly was not at all. However, no matter how many times she tried to hit the zombies that were chasing after her, they kept on coming closer and closer. Eventually, she was surrounded... as was the Professor...

The monsters then began to raise their arms for the killing strokes. The adult woman screamed in her mind. _What would I give for Genis and his spells! WHY DIDN'T I TAKE HIM?_ She could smell their breath. Right then, she grabbed the Chosen from below her and then placed her body over the teenager's. If she was to go right then and there... at least she would be protecting the Chosen and help do her part in saving the world... After all, what more honorable way for a half-elf like to to go than...

Two sticks - no three sticks - of metal stabbed right into the bowels of the monsters that were around them, leaving only one monster left alive. The same stick of metal seemed to flow right from the bowel of one... and then (to her disgust) chopped the head of another monster (and to be precise, a zombie). Then, the sticks were all gone, and then the remains of the monsters dissipated in a swirling mass of colors... (Which she, Raine, had to constantly remind herself to research as to why they died that way...)

When the bodies were all cleared for, that was when the Professor allowed herself to open her eyes once again to take a look around at the items that no doubt saved her life...as well as the life of the Chosen One, Colette. It didn't take long, for right there in front of her was two people in contrasting colors. One was purple with red hair, while the other was red with brown hair. One seemed inexperience, and the other seemed to give an air that said Be-glad-I-am-on-your-side-and-not-on-the-monsters.

She ran over towards them, hurriedly.

"Thanks so much! You two saved us!" yelled Colette, who was closer and hovering around them both. "Goddess Martel, thank you so much for providing us what we need."

The woman, who was the professor, stood right next to the two strangers that were inside the Temple. They were actually _allowed_ there? A sacred temple? No matter. She needed to give thanks to them anyways. "Yes, thank you! But, if I may ask, who are you and why did you help us?"

The red head one, the authority figure without a doubt, merely looked over at Colette, who was looking at both of them with question. "My name is Kratos, and this is my partner, Lloyd. We are mercenaries and I was wondering if you would like to hire our services."

_Wow, I was saved by mercenaries. Hmmm, how.... convenient..._ "I guess I don't really have much of a choice. I mean, Colette and I don't exactly seem to be enough to take care of all of these monsters." Though it saddened her, on the bright side she wouldn't have to be right there in the middle of the fight, afraid any hit might ruin the chances of saving the world. She offered them a medium amount of gold, gold that saved for moments if they were to run into trouble along the way. Well, they just did, and looks like she had to pay her way out...

"This seems enough for starters. I hope you wouldn't mind if we join you now."

As a response, the half-elf woman pointed over towards some monsters that were suddenly coming closer within eye range. "I hope you can help us take those things down. We have a world to save, after all."

---

The red head walked next to the young girl that was deemed the Chosen, watching her movements and her step to make sure that she was well enough to still be a host for the coming future. It was a good thing that they decided to come in right about then, for the Chosen already seemed to be in some sort of trouble... This being before they had run into any real signs of Renegades. He turned around to the more important thing in his life as of right now, his son. Currently, he was taking a good look around, seeing things that seemed to be really neat for someone as open minded as he was.

"Come on, Lloyd. It is best that you don't get lost. You could get lost somewhere around there." The red head said it in perfect teacher-pupil like voice, but in the inside, they both knew the truth. There was some slight complaints coming from the background, but the sound of the adult's son's boots rubbing against the floor was easily heard from his ears. As was the 'girl's talk' that both of the females up ahead were saying. Apparently, HE seemed to be 'a bit cold, but a little bit pleasing to the eye' and his **son** seemed to be 'nice-looking' for the Chosen One. The faster the job, the better. It was best that the teen did not have a relationship with the host... _But YOU had a 'relationship' with a host that YOU sent to the grave, didn't you Kratos? __**Remember**__?  
_  
The brown headed one nodded, then continued on his step to follow the adult figure. Eventually, they ended up in an area that a monster (a golem looking one) was lurking around. It was kinda there, stuttering back and forth, to and fro. It seemed not to be the most sneakiest thing around, mainly because with every step it took, it let out a loud sound that could be heard even without angelic hearing...

"Seems we have a puzzle to solve..." muttered the half-elf woman.

The red head looked onwards. As for the beginning, it was a rather nice way to start...

----------

_Made Raine less of a Ruin Maniac, especially right after she got saved.  
Seriously, what overcame me to write her like that...? 'Oh! I'M GOING TO DIE!' -saved- 'RUINS!'  
Yeah... D:  
Still some of it left, there, though. Didn't want to remove all of it._

_Retouched - [4.24.2009]_


	8. Chapter 8

_Angels of Cruxis_  
_by: Fehize_

_----------_

_The Noishe Incident  
'Filler Chapter'_

----------

There was no such thing as a sun for those who lived high upon the heavens. Oh, certainly, an object that was called the sun indeed was there, hanging high above those who lived underneath it in the worlds far below, but to those who lived up high, higher than the sky itself, the sun was an object heard about, but not often noticed rather well. The only hints of such an object were just the faint outline of gold that reached the outer edges of the world below than just hung like a round blanket. That world was the living one right then and there, and has been for many, many years. The only signs of change of the seasons that could be observed from such an immense height was the fact that the world below was white in the winter time, green in the spring, lighter brown-green in the summer, and finally, pure brown in the fall time.

However, despite all of the minor changes, it was still the same thing to the small brown-haired child who was named Lloyd. He was the most bored being in the entire Universe, without a doubt. The child was just hanging around by one of the immense and open windows that showed the rest of the space around them (including Derris Kharlan's black and purple surface), watching the view of something that was sentenced by massive groundings if he even **dared** to go and allow himself to THINK about going to the surface world. _Well then! I guess I am going to be grounded today..._ Like most children at the youthful age of nine, being stuck indoors was nothing fun at all. ESPECIALLY if the child knew that there was a world around them far below that was just screaming 'Come, Lloyd! Come play in the grass!' Often, the brown head lad would wonder if the rest of the people really did have no wings after all. How could they move then? Walk long distances or something? That was PER-POS-TER-OUS! No wonder Cruxis made their angels have wings...

The small child made his large eyes scan the ground far down below. He guesses he **supposed** that the people down there really did indeed have no wings and used other modes of transportation. Something like a horse, or some other thing like that. From what his Daddy told him, he knew that the Mana filled world had some sort of vehicles that relied on the power of Volt. _What was it again? Reywards? Rheiards? Ronards? GAH!_ It was hard to name all of those darn-blasted things!

The little tuft of wings on his back flapped back and forth slowly, like as if they were lazy and bored like the small child that was hugging the window pane, filled with the lust of going down towards the bottom. He wondered where his Daddy was right about then and there. Was he going off somewhere, doing his mercenary job? Or was he sitting down, listening to people drink a WHOLE lot of booze inside a tavern, disgusted by their attitude? (Once, when his Daddy was back from a job, he complained once that he hated trying to get a job from Humans in taverns. For one, most of the people had drank to much for their own good was there was constant fight there. AND, for two, when the WOMEN drank a _crap-load_ of booze (quality A brand), they were supposedly always going to HIS Daddy and talk to him 'bout grown-up stuff that his Daddy said that he was still to young to understand...) Maybe he was sleeping in late, or walking around, doing typical Daddy-stealth stuff. (Maybe his Daddy first came from the NINJA CITY! How cool was **that** idea?) Whatever the case was, he knew that his Daddy was busy off on the surface of the Mana-less world. How very boring. He hoped his Daddy missed him 'cause he defiantly missed his Daddy!

The lad turned around to face the city of Welgaia in front of him, allowing his legs to dangle down off the edge and kick back and forth. There was Reminel, all staring at the other angels with a look of order and supremacy. Over there was Yuan, free apparently from any duties that Mr. Blonde (Lloyd's personal name for Yggdrasil...) has given before and not doing 'Me-Time' yet. Far to the edge were the other angels that called Lloyd an underfoot. No one was anywhere _NEAR_ his age at all! The closest was perhaps around three-hundred years or so. Even then, that might be just off by about five hundred years. (Other angels never kept count as to how old they were. They were all "Age is of no importance to us." Really creepy!) There was no one to play with, except his Daddy, but he wasn't there at that current moment...

Thus, the brown head was back at square one. The most bored child in the Universe.

With a small sigh, the child let gravity take over as he fell down from the window a couple of hundred of feet, allowing the rushing wind flow through his face. It was something the child always did when he was getting to be really-ULTRA-super bored - and of course something that was never EVER done right in front of his Daddy! (He would be in so much trouble if his Daddy were ever to see.) - and wanted to think about something. He made sure never ever to go down farther than his eyes can clearly see the angles hovering at the rim of Welgia on the ceiling, just to be safe... Also to make sure that his Daddy didn't appear right from the warp, thus making him into a crap-load of trouble. The last time that he did this stunt, he was nearly caught. It was just by some random luck that his Daddy decided to look the other way because Uncley Yuan was talking to him.

Speaking of Uncley Yuan...

Stopping his decent, the young angel-in-training floated his way up towards the surface edge of the round central area where the blue-haired man was just standing there. Apparently, it seemed that he was becoming bored as well. (Which was a silly thought. Do adults like Uncley Yuan get bored? Why get bored when Lloyd was around?) So, really quiet like, like he tried to do when he stalked his Daddy (which never worked 'cause his Daddy **ALWAYS** heard him from within one hundred or so feet), the small child floated over towards the adult man that was standing there all regal-like.

"You need more work on your sneaking-on skills, Lloyd..."

With a small flip, the young child floated in an upside down circle, and then raised his body over towards his 'Uncley' to make eye contact. "Darn it!" the small child snapped with is two fingers. "Uncley Yuan, how do you ever manage to hear me, along with Daddy?" The brown-haired sighed then, making some sort of strange frown before he let it go and addressed his Daddy's bestest best friend.

Yuan still stood there, kinda giving a normal face (_An EMO face!_ snickered Lloyd. _Let me just fix that. Muwahaha! Cute face expression #4!_)... Until the child did the sad look... He brought up his eyes, then made sure that his eyes were filled with a watery film, and finally, did a pouty little lip. "Uncley Yuan... Don't be so emoy... Think about how that makes me feel..." _Just a little bit of sniffs..._ "I'm bored Uncley Yuan... Can you play with me PLEEEEEEASE?"

Like his Daddy, Yuan feel for it. The shoulders fell down from its tense form and then he managed to sigh a really big 'I-give-up' sigh. _Yah! Cuteness __**strikes**__ again!_ "Lloyd... I can't today..." The child gave a saddened, lost look. "Ah! No wonder your father never leaves you... You are too cute for your own good..." The child's Uncley rolled his head around, then kinda stood there: regal look dissipated and everything. "Look, Lloyd..." Puppy eyes evolving into round ones. "I have to stay here and make sure that all of the angels get ready for the coming of the Cruxis Crystal that is to be placed on the alter in... Martel's Temple." Rounds ones gathering tears...! "Lloyd... Fine, alright. I can't play with you, but I guess I give you permission to..." At this, the adult turned his head around and looked throughout the area. Nothing much of interest, even for a Seraphim like Uncley Yuan, was happening around. Just a _whole_ bunch of angels that were just hovering around there... flapping... floating... Typical angel stuff. Then, the child knew where the adult was looking then... "Hmm... Kratos isn't due for another month... Lloyd, I give you permission to go and play outside in the world of Slyverate. Now hurry up. If I got my news right... your father's... protozoan is hanging around the area and wants to play as well. So go, go."

Giving many thanks, the small child flew off towards the warp, where two of the black clothed solider angels were hanging around with their swords in their hands.

"Lloyd. Lord Kratos forbids it that you go down to the surface world. We can't let you pass," one said. "Please stay in Welgaia."

At this, the child frowned. First time EVER getting permission to go outside by _anyone_, and two little angels block his way? He was bored and wanted to play! "But I have permission from Lord Yuan that I am able to go to the surface of Sylverate!"

That created some talks between both of the angels. On one hand, they had an order to make sure that Lloyd did not leave the area by one high-leveled angel, and another apparent order to make sure that Lloyd was to explore the world on the bottom. They argued back and forth. One saying that "Lord Kratos is higher up, so we must listen to his order." and another saying "Lord Yuan works more with Cruxis while Lord Kratos stays with the Humans down there. Lord Yuan should be obeyed." Ended up that Lord Kratos had the upper saying in it because no one wanted an angry Seraphim breathing down their back (never less one that could summon Origin onto them at a mere moments warning), and it wasn't that Yuan **ordered** to let Lloyd go down. Just get permission to go down.

But by then the small child had already phased through the warp that lead towards the world of Sylervate. The two angels gave each other a look.

"We are in trouble. We must contact Lord Yggdrasil and report the news."

The other guard angel stood there, letting her black wings flap like a birds slowly. "I will try to locate Lloyd. Lord Kratos will have us destroyed if he finds out that his son was outside."

If they both had enough brains to feel afraid or worried right then, they would have not wanted to do either of those things...

---

"NOUISHE! COME HERE BOY!" yelled the young child as he walked around the general area just south of the Tower of Salvation. Of course, it was not as if any other people (outside of Cruxis angels, within twenty feet) could see the Tower, so it was invisible as of right then, leaving no traces of it ever being there before. Not even a shadow to its base. The young child was holding a little piece of food that he saved from his supper last night (horrible, of course. Only his Daddy cooked well, and that was because all of the angels couldn't remember how to cook food anymore...) towards the woods, trying to figure out where Nouishe was. At first, there was no sound nor movement... But then...

"Whine..." THERE! The _unmistakable_ sound of Nouishe! The signature Whine! According to his Daddy, that was basically the only sound that the protozoan made in 'Doggy form'. Seemed rather awkward, but it sure did beat some sort of slug! (Daddy said that when he first found Nouishe, it was some sort of slugy jelly.)

Everything was going great. Not only was he free outside in the world, the day was going to be really nice. The only trouble was that he was getting to feel a little bit of heat. His angelic clothing ('with only one belt' as his Daddy sometimes mumbled when his Daddy STILL dressed him in the morning) was feeling warm. Not hot yet, hot was getting harder and harder to come by with. (His Daddy said that that was going to be _perfectly_ normal, and that he had nothing to worry about.) It was a great way to spend the next week or so. "Come on Nouishe! I know that it's the third time we met. Last time, you were snuck inside the Tower, 'members?" That was when his Daddy wanted to cheer Lloyd up 'cause he was crying over the fact that he bumped his face into a pillar when trying to dodge some playful moves from his Daddy. Didn't go out quite according to plan...

So, together, 'dog' and 'child' (or in truth, protozoan and _angelic_ child) began their way south to explore the general area. It was a great sight as the child of the Seraphim called Kratos could only more-or-less dimly recall the last time he went on towards the sunlight surface. He could very dimly recall some sort of dragony shapes... _Oh well._

Then, up ahead the child heard a strange noise... "Ssh, Nouishe! I think I hear something!" The brown head's hearing still wasn't as anywhere NEAR his Daddy, but it was still better than Human ears. There was the sound again, except this time, much more closer. Whoever it was, it was not trying to go on off and make sure that the young kid could not hear it. Or it was a random person walking through in the nearby area...

"Lloyd Aurion! There you are! You know it is forbidden to go outside!"

At this, the Seraphim's child cringed, then froze at one. It was not his Daddy's voice (may his Mommy in Heaven help him if his Daddy found out he was out in the world), but it WAS a voice that caught him! Was he going to get it now! Those black winged angels ALWAYS tattled telled on him when he was doing _anything_ kinda bad.

"Lloyd Aurion. Come. We must hurry back to-"

"My goodness! Two talking birds!!!"

Suddenly, Nouishe started to growl, and then there the noise of shuffling feet. From the gloom of the dark forest in the background, a strange mesh of rope made in little squares flew! It had round little balls that edged the perimeter of it, and it did not look friendly.

"NET!" screamed the black guard angel as she threw herself in front of the small child. "There are Humans here!" And with that, the black angel began to settle down towards the ground and ready herself by pulling out her two swords etched in black lettering. However, the net missed and didn't crash right into them. "Stay back, Lloyd!" And Lloyd stood back, utterly confused.

On cue, there walked in a teenaged female carrying a small net, an adult man carrying half a net, and a woman carrying the other side. The man began to talk. "My Goddess Martel! That one looks like an angel! Only, angels don't have black wings...."

"I will not allow you to touch Lloyd Aurion. Lord Kratos will not be pleased," the black angel began, readying herself for a Mana incantation, "and he is not one to be angered..."

"MOM! THAT BIRD KNOWS MANA!"

"Hsuian!" yelled the woman at the man. "Get the remedy!"

"I GOT IT!" screamed the teenager as she lunged her way towards both of them. Then, Noishe jumped right in front of the girl and gave a large growl. Stopping suddenly, she froze up, then lunged forwards. "TAKE THIS DOG!" BAM! With a loud whine, Noishe began to bark, but the young girl used her net to cover him... and then Noishe was stuck under.

Like a small dart, she ran towards the black angel as the man and woman threw the large net on top of Lloyd and the she-guard. With a slam, they both fell down from the sky as the girl ran towards them and opened a small bottle. Thrusting it into both of their mouths, she rubbed Lloyd's (and the guard's) throat quickly before jumping back towards the two adults.

"See Mom! I _**tottally**_ got it covered!" She took a glance at both of them. "No Mana for Y-O-U!"

"Stop this extremity at once, three Humans! You do not know what you trifle with!" warned the black guard angel, her black wings pinned down because they were solid.

At this, the man stepped forward. "Since you know about our language, then I guess that you wouldn't mind me telling you who we are!"

"Renegades?" spat the guard.

All three blinked, then faced their two 'bird' hostages. "NO!" continued the male head figure. "My name is Hsuian, and I am the ringleader of KATY-KATES MAGICAL CIRCUS! You two shall be my main show exhibit!" He began in a show-like voice. "ANGELS FROM HEAVEN! SEE NOW!"

"This is unreal!" moaned the black angel as both of them were carried from the forest's grass down towards a cart that was behind a layer of dense bushes. "Lord Kratos will have my head!"

All the while, Lloyd was crying.

---

He was inside the tavern section of an inn.

A red headed man, only wanting to get paid for his mercenary services finished yesterday by the innkeeper, turned his head around and ignored the people around him. The room was filled with people that the man did not want to bother to mess around with at that current moment. He was just waiting for the leader of the large bunch to come on in and hand him his money, then he could go on and head on home towards his son with some toy that he hoped his son would like... But unfortunately, he was stuck there in a dusty room. Some had too much to drink, but other than that, it was a slow night.

It was a lousy way to end a job. Such was the fate of a mercenary however. Best jobs usually were around pubs like this one, even though the environment was something that even drove Noishe away... _Speaking of him, where has he gone off to? I have yet to see him in about a month..._

"Ah, Kratos! It is a great pleasure to see you here. I am glad that you finished your job of settling that debt that my neighbors needed to repay to me. As promised, here is your payment."

"I am pleased you thought of my services to be well," the red head began as he took the money. Counting the really fast, the adult turned his head around and then began to walk out of the tavern. Once he opened the door that lead to the outside, he made his head turn over towards a sound that seemed to stem from the forest towards the far west...

Padded feet hitting the floor below was easily heard to the Seraphim that was already tense as it was. However, it seemed to be that it was the sound of something that the red head was used to whenever he went outside to see how the world were doing, as well as just kinda walking around as a mercenary. It was Noishe, and he seemed to be running as fast as it could over towards the red headed figure that was ready to see it.

However, instead of a jump right into the adult's lap, trying to knock him down (which was the general greeting that the animal gave), Noishe BIT him! His best friend actually **bit** him! Not just a bite, it seemed like, but a full fledge tug from his pants! "What is it, Nouishe?" he asked as he was being led by his protozoan pet. "NOISHE!" he said, somewhat louder than before in a dangerous tone. Finding those purple clothes took a LONG time, and repairing them even longer.

"Whine whine! Whine whine whine!" was the reply as it began to pull him with an even stronger grip back towards the area that the red head's protozoan came from. "WHINE!"

Never in his life has the red head seen anything like this happen to Noishe... nothing except that day that his pet warned him about the ambush that Kvar was wanting to catch them in... _Lloyd!_

"Run Noishe! Find Lloyd!" His fatherness were screaming at him, telling him to run faster and FLY!

To all of the drunken people who were outside at that moment, they could all _**swear**_ on their mother's dead grave that they saw an ANGEL fly off from their town. However, all were to hungover to bother to remember it the following morning...

---

"Ladies and gentlemen! I give to you..." a sudden rush of wind was sounded as a large red sheet fell from a large cage that held the two precious prizes, "ANGELS FROM HEAVEN!"

"AMAZING!"

"Divine!"

"Surreal!"

"Wow!"

"Hazzah!"

Then, came the thunderous clapping. It made the ears of both of the angels (wither fully an angelic being or not) ring loudly as there was a full crowd of them standing there. "This sucks," was all that the black angel could say as she hung her head down, ignoring the crowd that paid 2,000 Gald to see them (per person). Not only was she stripped from all uses of Mana for already a month, she lost her swords as well, not to mention most of her dignity.

During, the whole month, Lloyd was doing nothing but crying out for his father. Seemed like a reasonable thing to do, if it wasn't for the fact that his father was A HIGH SERAPHIM and would **KILL** HER for her insolence. At least they were properly tended for... even if those foolish Humans were trying to feed _her_. She was an ANGEL! A being highly superior to them! She did not need petty things like FOOD!

But it was funny seeing them try.

Once, they (meaning the pathetic Humans) almost fell for her dead-look after she refused to eat for two weeks. But then they were about to poke the Seraphim's child FIRST with a piece of heated iron, so naturally, she just HAD to step in the way, ending her disguise. The child seemed to latch on to her, apparently wishing for his father, and she had to protect him. It was her duty. It was her life. It was her destiny.

And if she managed to make sure that she did it well, she might be spared Lord Kratos's anger. (It was a legendary tale, passed from guard angel to guard angel, that Lord Kratos utterly killed anyone who displeased him in cold blood, casting his stronger fire spells on those who displeased him, and summoning Origin on those that dare go near things he held close. Some angels mummer that he could even send down the great heavens down upon them if they misbehave. That was prePOSTerous, mainly because that was Lord Yggdrasil whom they should be more afraid of. After all, Lord Kratos was born of a Human, not a great half-elf like the Leader of the Angels. But then again... Origin _**did**_ seem pretty damn painful...)

So, the black clothed, black winged angel made sure that less of the crowd saw the child, who's father was basically at the head of the Angelic food chain.

That action was such a good thing too, mainly for the fact that a noise from the audience filled the area.

"I call upon thy Leader of all Summon Spirits..."

"Shit! Get down Lloyd!" she yelled with as much emotion as an angel could manage, throwing herself down upon the child that was filled with hope. A muffled word escaped from underneath her, a word that said 'Daddy'. Quickly, she turned her head to see the beginnings of the summon. She wanted to see if the legends exclaimed around Lord Kratos was true, or fabricated lies to hold them all in place with stories that made him bigger than life.

The crowd from the town nearby was all standing on or nearby the center of light that was coming from the floor. It was the shape that was said that Origin's Summon Spell was to be casted from. Something that was quite beautiful in all of its colors. Then, she saw him. The red hair that was, without a doubt, Lord Kratos. His eyes were set in grim determination, hatred, and anger. Everything went in slow motion. His arm, going in front of him, pointing towards the petty Humans that were standing there; horror apparent on their faces. One did not need to know about Origin in order to discover that someone was aiming a large amount of Mana at their very faces. Then, the four armed man appeared from the ground, and he raised his arm as immense lights filled the general tented area. The light was BLINDING, more blinding then Holy Lance, more blinding than any Origin she has seen before (and she was pretty proud on considering herself lucky to see four of them; most from Lord Yggdrasil). It seemed to be that all of Lord Kratos's anger, all of his rage, were welled up in that one attack. As the wind from such an immense heat source made her own red-orange hair fly up, brief thought entered her mind. _He is more dangerous than Lord Yggdrasil himself!_

Eventually, the dust settled and the heat dissipated from around her body. Her little black cap that had white lace had flown off and was nowhere to be seen, and the little child underneath her was stirring. Hopefully, he did not take a look at the attack that almost made HER blind. As if the Lord Kratos could read her mind, he flew (wings out and all decked in white) out towards them both, then grabbed his son and clutched the boy tight. _Is that really...? Is Lord Kratos __**really**__ showing __emotion__?_ The black winged guard angel hovered there for a moment, taking in everything she saw and heard within a few minutes.

"Daddy. I was so scared... but the angel helped..."

She stood upright, rigid in fear. _Please don't kill me. Please don't kill me._ she repeated over and over in her head. The Lord Kratos was actually going to say a few words to her! In the background, she was aware that there was no one there, except for the dog-like thing that she knew hung around Lord Kratos almost every time he went outside, either if he was in his Cruxis uniform or in that purple one.

"You will be promoted," was a quick little statement that came out from the Lord. His body showed almost nothing (if you ignored the way he was holding the small child in his arms) except the legendary coldness that was told from angel to angel. "I trust you will find another color other than black, or you will find a black robe of some sort."

The now-promoted ex-guard angel gasped in her insides. All the legends were true, and she was promoted to the level BELOW a Seraphim for her work! (Nevertheless that there was at least one hundred other angels at the same rank.) She saw Lord Kratos as he flew off towards the sky and head off towards the Tower after a quick nice pat on the dog.

"Good, Noishe."

The black angel turned around to see the many bodies of the dead, underling Humans. The whole of the circus - as well as the viewers - were strewn across the floor like rag dolls that were not fit for keeping. It was a massive pit of sheer destruction.

It would be best if she reported nothing of this at all to Lord Yggdrasil... Except maybe telling that she found the child after no incident whatsoever...

---

"There Lloyd. See, you are all better now..."

"Daddy," sniffing noise, "I am sorry I ran off without your permission..."

The red head was sitting on his bed, rocking back and forth to calm down his once-sobbing son. "Ssh, ssh, ssh, Lloyd. It's ok. Just _never_ go outside without my consent first, ok? I promise I won't get mad at you because you learned your lesson. Please, Lloyd. Please just settle down and stop crying..." Sobbing might have stopped, but the child was scared of getting in trouble. _Scared because he might be in trouble? NO! He is perfectly safe now... Can't he see that?_ But children were always more afraid of a parent's wrath than being stuck in a prison (apparently). So, his fatherly instinct were taking over at this point... kinda. Maybe discipline was important, but he just couldn't bring himself to yell at his son. Why make him suffer more? He was pretty sure the child cried the whole month, having no one really to depend on.

"Look, here," the red head continued, using his nicest and most soothing voice as he handed up something from the recesses of his pockets. "I got you something."

It took a few minutes, but the young child began to hold back his tears and look at the object that his father was holding. It was a white feather that the red head had found upon the ground. "Looks like your mother was taking care of you. See, she even left a feather..."

With his smaller hands, his son took it and felt it softly. "Wow... Mommy came down from Heaven to see me?"

The red head solemnly nodded as he stared off into space, still holding something that was dear to him before the little one fell asleep. _Anna..._

---

Thus, it came to be known, throughout all of Welgaia, as the _Noishe Incident_.  
An Incident that nearly made public as to what the Angels of Cruxis really were.  
Only two beings truly knew as to why it was called that.  
And only three saw the carnage that was wielded by the wrath of a father protecting his dearest son...

----------

_Edited and deleted more than a paragraph's work to make it not as ludicrous.  
Still is, but not painstakingly as much.  
In general, it has nothing to do with the main plot, aside from a random reference - short, albeit - in a later chapter._

_Retouched - [4.24.2009]_


	9. Chapter 9

_Angels of Cruxis  
By: Fehize_

_----------_

High arches were the dominate feature in a room that was clearly made in the years straight following the Kharlan Wars, a time when the technology and knowledge of magi-technology was clear and apparent in the minds of the makers. It was also a room that was created by the power of a single sword, a man's desire, and a future that Cruxis was leading up towards. A future that a certain red head knew that he was beginning to doubt. Thoughts cast aside; it was time that the red head turned his head towards the sight that was certain to commence in front of their eyes in a few moments. After all, according to what the white haired professor said, it was literally an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see a **real** angel come down from the heavens high above to give the Oracle.

If only the others knew...

"Man, all of those monsters were tough. I thought we were done for... Until you guys both came to rescue us!" That was un-doubtfully the sound of the Chosen One, her happiness seemed indeed genuine. Apparently, she was the type of girl that thought her troubles meant nothing but a burden to others, thinking only unselfish thoughts... Kinda. He had seen this type before, and it was not exactly the most... pleasing type of person to hang around with for long. Sure, those types were nice, but they got to be pretty annoying after a while...

Did he mention she was clumsy?

When they were solving the (very easy) puzzle to get the Sorcerer's Ring, she tripped and fell down over a pile of rocks. Her white clothing had to be dusted by herself and her adult companion. It was quite a nasty sort of fall, and even his brown head son had to do a small flinch. Yes, it seemed that even Lloyd remembered times when he fell pretty badly from his bed one night...

So, now, there they were, standing right in front of a glowing red alter that was to summon the most teased off angel in the world. (Not that _that_ certain angel had no reason. After all, he had just witnessed someone being higher ranked than him just a day ago...) The red head and the others stood nearby the base. He was keeping a straight face, a face that emitted almost no emotion, except for caution. (Even though he knew it was something not needed then. Remiel was not the type of person that would go on off and start shooting of angelic spells at his son, no matter how angry he was in the inside.) Having a hand on his sword was one of the best ways to walk around in this world. He couldn't say the exact same thing for his son, but he hoped it was because his son was acting as an apprentice.

"Ready Collette? It is time to see the Oracle." That half-elf woman was one that seemed interested in everything that shined of glistened in the room around her. He had yet to see another woman to do something like that... He shook his head and turned it to face the platform once again. Except, this time the yellow-haired girl was walking towards the alter, arms crossed in a prayer. It seemed she faithfully believed in Martel, a woman that has been mentally dead for thousands of years, only a shell of her existing. Not at all a Goddess that she was said to be, but a woman that was special to a man-child as a sister.

The teenager girl made her way towards the pedestal that the red head knew awaited her. It was then that she bowed her head down to say a prayer. "Oh Goddess Martel," she began. "I am here to await your orders and see the Oracle."

A big flash of light erupted from the ceiling, spraying the ground, walls, and tapestries with golden light that seemed to radiate from some sort of large orb. _Typical. Remiel always does like to come in with a bang..._ Raine, for that was the half-elf's name, stood back in awe and wonder, and even the Chosen One seemed to be somewhat afraid.

"The Chosen of Mana..." began the familiar voice of someone that the red head knew from past experiences. The adult turned his head to see what his son was doing...

He was yawning, very slightly, in boredom instead of tiredness.

_Lloyd!_ Quickly, the red head turned his head really quick to face his son and shot a warning glance. Startled that he was caught, the young one stood back into action, making himself look up towards the ceiling where the other angel was floating down softly. The red head followed suit, but in the inside, he knew exactly what his son was thinking of... _Show off..._ he mussed slightly.

However, by the time that both of the Seraphim got focused back into their job, Remiel was already giving the 'blessed' Cruxis Crystal - _Someone else lost their life to that! Someone like __**Anna**__!_ hissed his mind. _And what do you do with Anna's death-burden? You hide it under the clothing of your son, THAT is what you do! Hide it, let it __fester__ inside your own __**child's**__ body, making HIM into EXACTLY what you are! An 'Angel of Heaven'? NO! A Demon from Hell!_ Pushing the thought back to the recesses of his mind... - to the body of the girl. Then, it was official. The Chosen was now going to become the host; their job as Seraphim, they must make sure that it happens. For the faster that they manage to find Martel a new body, the faster the whole world could be able to be unified without anymore wars or such the like. _So you will kill your own son's links to humanity. A death wish Anna wanted. An Angel of Change does not mean a Seraphim. An Angel of Change is something that can only happen __through__ being a Seraphim. So you remove something that you yourself wish for... your links back to the people you abandoned long ago, from your own son. It is what Anna wanted; I did it for her. Do you doubt her now? Never.  
_  
But it was too late. A seed had been planted.

---

"Dad, there is a bug in my hair."

"Lloyd! What did I say about-"

"But no one is around..."

For the third time that day, the adult sighed, then grabbed the shoulders of his brown-headed son to turn him around. "What was so hard about pulling it out yourself," he said, letting the air come out of his lungs (not that he had too...) as he found the 'bug'. In truth, it was a twig that his son had somehow caught deep within the wisps of his hair. It was sure a tiring day. Not only did that have to go and leave the Temple of Martel with a school teacher asking every single question that she could think of about the temple itself, the red head discovered that there were some Renegades about in the outside world. It seemed that they were always there, lurking in the shadows of Cruxis, killing and destroying to make sure that Cruxis fell down to its knees. It seemed odd that they knew exactly where Cruxis was going next, however. Right now, it appeared to be that there was not much of a danger yet, but unfortunately they were becoming more dangerous by the day. Already they knew the rough location of the Chosen. Not exactly your average run-of-the-mill 'mercenary' job.

"There," the red head began as he fluffed up the brown hair that was right in front of him, "-twig gone. Are your ears feeling better now? How about yourself? Not tired, right?"

His son smiled, giving off the same smile that made his chest squeeze a bit. For one that lived for four thousand years, roughly fourteen years ago was nothing but a quick breeze of mental sight. "Ears are feeling fine, Dad!" The brown head teen hushed down his voice. Even though they were in a room (a rather small one) located away from others, they were both still inside the home of the host. (And even right under her room, so no loud noises were allowed.) "Thanks for the help earlier."

"You're welcome, Lloyd. See, it wasn't that hard now, was it? Just learn to ignore it." It was difficult trying not to let too much of the fatherly fatherness slip out in the real world when they were around others. In fact, he tried to hide it all, but it still ended up that some _tiny_ little trace could still be detectable, no matter how hard he tried. It ended up being impossible to hold that speck down... So, now he let it out (if somewhat quietly) when neither of their traveling companions were too preoccupied (or to busy) to notice. It was nice to spend some quality time with your own son. After all, now that they were both Seraphim, they were both going to have more or less the same mission-like stuff.

Just as long as Lloyd doesn't get bored doing the same things over and over. (The red head knew for a fact that even HE got bored after one thousand and some years. The passion for going on was losing its... passion.)

"Dad, what time are we going to leave tomorrow? Early in the morning or later in the afternoon?"

"We'll have to head out at the morning. Best we don't waste our time," (already the first day of the job, and stroking his son's brown hair back. _The same color as Anna's..._) "because we want to get towards the desert in about a few days of travel."

"Oh..." and with that, his brown-haired son gave a stifling yawn. The red head gave the teenager a look as the boy tried to hide it. Like everything done a first time, the hiding did not work well.

"You are tired, Lloyd? When was the last time you slept?"

"Maybe... last week..."

"Lloyd..." the red head said in his adult voice.

"Akk. Fine. About a month ago."

Another sigh for the count, the red head just shook his head back and forth. "Aye, Lloyd. Just because we don't NEED sleep doesn't mean you should try to burn yourself out, making you **have** to sleep. How many times have I told you this in your lifetime? Don't answer that..." _Come to think of it, when was the last time __**I**__ slept? Hmm... more than a month..._ The red head turned around. "Come on. Hopefully these pillows are not so uncomfortable that we can feel them."

Another yawn. "Sleepin' too, Dad?"

"I need to catch up on some of my energy as well. Come **on** Lloyd."

It seemed that his son did not really need the second gesture. As soon as the brown-head's head fell down upon the pillow in the guest room, his eyes closed and he fell asleep. The red head looked outside the window just to see if there were any types of weather anomalies acting up. When he was assured that tomorrow would be a day without rain, he made his own head hit the pillows. _Good thing Lloyd doesn't snore,_ he thought with a small mutter in his own head.

It was a horrible thing, not being able to dream at night because your physical state does not allow you to. The only good thing was that the red head could not live the horrid deeds of his past as his body rested for the night.

---

The sun kissed the cliffs far off towards the west. The sun then decided to trail its way around towards the outer edge of them, running off towards the ocean that waited in darkness. The world of Sylverant was rather small. That was to be expected because it was what Cruxis wanted to be. The sun, already, had hit the simple pane window in the room of the two sleeping Seraphims, letting their bodies stay perfectly still to begin the adventures that was their job, given to them by the Leader of the Angels himself. The day had just begun, but the colors of the world were beginning to play an effect upon the cliffs.

The head of the brown-haired child stirred slightly as the sun pierced the teenager's eyelids. "Mmmmfh," he said, muttering slightly. The night gave no dreams - why would it? - but the morning was still acted upon by a typical teenager; one that hated to wake up when the sun told him to, one that made sure to not wake up until shaken.

Unfortunately, the sun refused to let him. Moaning softly, he stifled awake. Stretching slightly, he made his way up. Turning around, he saw his father still sleeping under some of the white covers. Even though he had seen his father sleep for many years already (of course, nowhere _near_ the years as much as his dad has seen), it always did seem rather weird that the always-active father of his could really be asleep. _Oh well! I guess this means I can explore a little around the town! I've NEVER been in a town before..._ After all, he was kinda isolated from the worlds. Both times he tried to escape ended up in SOMETHING going bad...

Maybe he was just really unlucky or something.

He knew that his father was good at sneaking up on others, and discovering when a certain son moved, but the brown head had a way to sneak away when least expected. (After all, it was not always that he awoke earlier than his father. His dad must have been tired physically...) Making his way towards his boots, he made sure that the buckles were snapped together, then held them in his hands and snuck out of the room through the door. The door was either brand new or freshly greased for it made no noise that would be loud enough to make his dad wake up. (He should know. When he was little he tried to see how much noise his dad could take before he stirred. Unfortunately, he got into some SERIOUS trouble for that as well...) Sneakily, he went out...

"Ah, you must be Kratos's pupil... Lloyd?"

The sudden voice made the young teenager turn around in a 'Ah-man-I-am-busted' look. Surprised, he saw on old-like man that he noticed that was hanging around yesterday near the Chosen One. _Umm... what was her father's name again...?_ "Ummm, hi," Lloyd began, trying to keep quiet. "I wanted to go outside and stuff..."

"Oh, all right, sonny!" _Sonny?_ "Go on ahead. I'll make Colette make sure that you come inside for breakfast. She seems really interested in meeting visitors."

_Whew... Dodged a bullet. _"Thanks, Chosen One's dad..." he muttered as he placed on his shoes and began to walk off towards the door that lead to the outside.

The sun was still hitting the ocean at that moment, but the brown headed child ignored that. After all, it was the first really good day that he was outside on the bottom. (He wondered if he was still as pale as he was a couple of years ago. His dad claimed he tanned up because of all of the sitting around he did by the windows...)

The little town of Iselia was very... different from Welgaia. The thing that always struck him was the _color_. Everywhere he looked was something pleasing to the eye. Red little flowers blooming (he read in books that they were native flowers), the green grass growing, and the small wooden houses that the Mana-less world provided for those that were not rich enough for other materials. The houses all were painted too... especially the one he just came out of. (He wondered if it seemed like he was gawking.)

There were very few people walking around, some seemed like they needed some more rest, other seemed like they were wide awake. _People on the worlds down below us need to sleep everyday, Lloyd,_ said his father-lecture-memory in his head. _Some Humans are what other Humans call early risers. Others are night people. It all depends on a person's inner personality. When you are with others, at least act asleep.  
_  
_But it's boring sitting there in bed for eight hours...  
_  
_Lloyd..._

"Hey, are you ok mister?"

Startled, the brown haired teen turned around to face the general area where the voice was coming from. There, right in front of him, was another white-haired person. Except this one was about two-third his size and seemed to have long strips of hair that seemed to almost hit the middle of his torso. Another thing he wore was a LOT of blue clothing with silver trimmings. _I sense... half-elf? _

"Hi! I am Genis. Are you the new kid here at the school?"

"Ummm... no..." he began with a slight surprise.

"Oh... Hmm..." It seemed like the white-haired child was thinking about something. "That must mean you must be Lloyd..."

"Yah... I am. How did you know that?"

"Because, Lloyd..." began a voice behind him that was a guarantee, one-hundred percent his father's. _Uh oh..._ "This child is Professor Raine's brother. It is nice to meet you, Genis. I presume your elder sister told you that you were going to join us."

The brown-head slightly gave a small curse to himself. How in the world did his dad find out he snuck out? Oh, he was going to be in for it tonight...

---

The red head adult made sure that he kept a good eye on his son. It seemed that he was still going all curious on the outer surroundings. One side told him to get upset and tell Lloyd that sneaking out was a bad thing to do, but the other side thought that it was still safe right, and he needed to see the world again. Besides, the teenager was a fully trained Seraphim, not like any Renegade could go off and hurt him.

But that will make their cover go off, and that was specifically instructed that they should not do that unless the host's life was in danger.

So, here the group of travelers were in the rising sun (for it was to be one hour before noon). Personally, it was not the best time to leave, but the sooner the seals were unleashed that house the power of the enslaved Summon Spirits the faster that the world could be unified. _Unified. Is that what you are doing really what the name says?_ Then, they could go back and make sure that the other world was all fixed up with their Chosen. Unless Yggdrasil's hypothesis on this certain host was correct...

"So, Kratos, do you know where we are to be going next?" questioned the professor. She was holding a staff of some sort, apparently her weapon of choice. It seemed to be made of tough oak, or some other type of wood akin to that, rounded off. She was obviously the healing type, and the red head had deducted the best of her knowledge was First Aid, a rather weak healing move.

"Oh, Mr. Kratos?" began the Chosen One. She was walking after Lloyd, yet before Genis, who was in front of Raine. The red head himself was in the front, being the scout and protector. "When are we going to go to the first seal?"

"It's in the Triet Desert, far into the Triet ruins-"

"RUINS! What a _fantastic_ opportunity to do some studying!" exclaimed the professor from seemingly clear out of the blue. Her eyes were in a happy stance, but she immediately returned back to normal. Or at least, what seemed to be normal. "It is very important that Collette finishes releasing the seals. It's the only way to make our wondrous world into its formal glory."

"Well then, we have to get going then! Kratos, I am ready to save the world!" Wither that enthusiasm was real or fake - presumably fake, the red head knew that his son really wanted to see the rest of the area around him. (It sometimes seemed to be that his son never really wanted to grow up and leave his father. Odd.)

Together, they crossed through the outer gates of the small town, then something caught the eye of the red head off the corner of his eye...

The sun was not yet in the crest of its rotation from one side of the world to the other. Because of this, the color on the cliffs that stretched on the west side did not yet die. There, blood spilled across the floors of those cliffs. A certain cliff itself stood out to the angelic sight of the adult; the leader of the group, the Seraphim.

The sun played its colors of blood upon that cliff as the male made his way past them. He could distinguish the cliff for it would always haunt his memories.

It was the cliff where he killed his own wife.

It was then the Seed of Doubt took root and began to search for water...

----------

_Change the misuse of a word when describing Genis! Also, a few grammar errors.  
Some will probably still be there. I'm not perfect~_

_Retouched - [4.25.2009]_


	10. Chapter 10

_Angels of Cruxis  
by: Fehize_

_----------_

Sand seemed to seep into the feet and eyes and hair and goodness knows what else at the merest flick of the wind's current. It got to be a really large hassle when the wind reached a constant breeze, and pure angelic hell when the wind speed topped forty in a sandstorm. Nothing spelt h.e.l.l. than having sand flash by right in front of your eyes (because angelic sight was so good, Angels could see the individual grains. However, multiply that by a quint-trillion and seeing all of that flying sand got to be a real headache...), having sand get in your clothing (that made anyone smell like beach, not exactly a nice smell if it was to mix with the occasional monster blood a la mode...), and of course, HEARING all of that confounded sand rush by your ears, combined with the moans of the tired travelers (having angelic hearing was NOT the desired thing at the current moment).

The leader of the party turned his head around, ignoring the sound of sand on his ears as he faced the many others. On one side was his brown head teenager son, who was doing a little fine coping with his own dilemma of angelic hearing, sight, etc. He was walking right next to the white haired Mana caster, Genis, the much younger brother or Raine, talking about something and laughing along the way. _Hmmm... should I be stopping this?_ the older red-head Seraphim thought to himself for the millionth time that day. Was it right for his son to have a conversation with a possible confidant that could betray his words? Then again, it was wrong to judge if the half-elf ended up turning into a very loyal friend. But Yggdrasil was not exactly a great friend anymore either, and he was a half-elf as well... But half-elves made for very loyal friends because of the fact they were discriminated by so many others that once they found someone to accept them, they stayed true to you. Yggdrasil must be an exception, that's all. He has gotten his ideas far ahead from the old friendship that they used to have.

But that still didn't make him better in the inside, knowing that his son could be saying things that was not supposed to be said. For now, it seemed like they were just two best-friends-made-in-two-days, nothing that was considered dangerous, but the adult male made a mental note. After all, it was going to be a long journey.

"Hey, Kratos," began his son as they were beginning to walk down the sands towards the 'incredibly large city' of Triet. "Looks like there is an oasis down there in the middle of the city. Maybe we can head off towards there and pick up some water 'cause I am really thirsty!" Not that Lloyd was exactly thirsty, of course. But he was getting used to acting thirsty now, something that the adult red head had perfected over years and years of mercenary service. (Which was just an excuse most of the time to leave the City of Angels, of course. He did get restless over many, many years...)

"Finally, the time will come to see the great and magical wonders of the Triet Ruins!" screamed the much-happy filled Raine, the Professor. "I just can't wait until I see them! Come, Genis! The faster we get supplies, the _faster_ we are able to head towards HISTORY!"

"Professor Raine," questioned the blonde Chosen One, "I just can't wait until I see the ruins as well!"

"EXCELENT! Muwahahaha!"

The red head turned his head around and sighed. _**This**__ is the Chosen's group...?_

---

Getting supplies took longer than expected, but that was alright because there was nothing much else to do except run around and stare at the oasis, which tended to be rather blue despite the fact that sand was constantly flying over the tops of the crests of water. The rest of the day inside the town was rather depressing. The brown-head teenager was off, playing tag (or something like that), and that made for the adult to go on off and think about things that his mind was trying to bring upon his head, trying to crash them down into his cranium with the force of Holy Lance on a weak demon-like monster.

The sight of the blood-colored cliff faces was the exact same color that was the floor of the life of the red head's dear wife. The deepness of the red that seemed to out darken and out rich the color of the adult's own natural hair color. A color that symbolized life as well as death. It was the place where one soul was exchanged for another at a horrendous price; a price that a certain Seraphim angel wished he had paid instead.

_If Cruxis really was all that great_, sneered his innermost thoughts, still hidden from the outside world, _then wouldn't Anna still be alive? Think about it, Kratos. Had Yggdrasil __**really**__ wanted such an item like the Angelus Project - or anyone else in Cruxis - they would have killed you just to keep it. That is, __if__ they could find a bond to get you away from Origin._

_But Yggdrasil let me keep Lloyd up there! A better world, a better place! Once Martel has a body back..._

_**Exactly**__ that, Kratos, 'Once Martel has a body back.' To Yggdrasil, anyone that can hold Martel as a host is worth a death. Imagine if Anna was the Chosen One... Then again, she already was a host by the Angelus Project. A project that you refused to truly stop._

_It would be impossible. All of Cruxis would have been against me._

_Then why did you steal her and run?_

"Yu-whoo. Kratos Aurion! Earth to the red head! Is there a Kratos in the area?"

That was Lloyd, without a doubt. No one else _dared_ to go on off and snap a Seraphim - or an adult armed with a really pointy sword - out of thought. At least, this occurrence was for the better. Maybe it was time that he tried to think of other things other than Anna... _Cruxis killed her..._ Arg! There he went again! Will his thoughts ever stop plaguing him? It was bad enough that he thought them nearly...

"Yes, Lloyd. Is everyone ready first? We have to leave soon." The wording was exact, precise, typical red-heady fashion... Or so he hoped. Hiding in emotions was something that the red head knew he excelled in, but in front of his overly curious son was a different matter. (Mainly for the fact that ever since the teen was a baby, all he really got was LOTS of affection from a certain Seraphim...)

"Yah, D-Kratos!" The teenager winched slightly at the almost-slip of the tongue. The red head only rolled his eyes slightly. _Oh, bother..._ "But that was not the reason why I asked for you, umm..."

"Kratos. Just say 'Kratos' for goodness sakes, Lloyd..."

The teenager had to smile sheepishly. "Yah, Kratos. Sorry about that..." It was silent for a small while, but then the teen decided to continue on his explanation. "Kratos, Raine thinks I am _uneducated_! She's gonna 'teach' me when we are traveling!" Now Lloyd was really putting on the sad, pouty face look. "I don't **want** to learn stuff I already know!"

"Well then Lloyd, I guess you'll have to fake listening then. Or fail on purpose."

"WHAT?"

The red head tossed a smile at the stunned teenager (of course, making sure that no one else was around to see it that could tell anyone else inside the town of Treit). "As your upper mercenary-ranked apprentice hirer, I hereby decree that you must learn." Further on a torturous smile... "After all, education is very important, Lloyd."

"Daaaaaaaaaaaaaad!" whined his son.

No one was listening, of course, but the adult just hung his head down and sighed. "Lloyd..."

"Hehehe," was the small mutter.

---

The red head noted that everyone else was now coming back from the small, little shops that were in the town, all excited and equipped with new items. Not that they were the best ones, but they were sufficient enough for the monsters in the general area. There was the Chosen One, pulling out some pieces of wood from her hair that she ran into. Over there was the Mana mage, Genis, swinging that little weapon of his. Followed by Raine, who was eager to get ready and going on further.

The eruption of questions erupted right afterwords.

"Lloyd, what do you think of my new chakrams? They are green, like little Frisbees!"

That was the Chosen, no doubt.

"Hey, Lloyd! Wasn't the desert AMAZING! Let's go on out and see some more!"

Genis.

"I wonder what sort of artifacts we can find..."

...Raine...

When everyone settled down - after the 'mercenary' ordered everyone to, basically - the red-head mentioned to everyone that it was time to go regenerate the world, knowing in full effect that doing such a thing was just an act that he and his son were merely playing. The other three members were all nodding and agreeing, ready to go on and save their precious land from becoming a husk of sand and wind. After all, it was common knowledge that the desert was beginning to expand northward, the rains coming less, all because of the lack of Mana to the world.

Then, disaster struck.

The red head sensed it immediately, for it was coming from behind and it was growing. It was a large Mana source, and it did not seem like something Genis could do. Turning around, the adult and the son both grabbed their weapons and readied themselves. Everyone else could sense the Mana as well (for one was a host, and the others were half-elves), and in alarm they turned their faces towards the possible threat.

Though neither Seraphim could exactly see what was going because of all of the sand, the Mana signature was undeniable. Something strong was out there.

Suddenly, there it was, a burst of Mana that came as an electric field! It was moving very fast, crossing through the air towards the group as fast as an attack that even the red-head could do in Seraphim form! _What the-? This isn't an ordinary attack!_

There was no time for words. With a large flash, the light of the attack could be seen, heading straight towards... the Chosen! _Renegades! But an attack like this must come from the leader, no doubt!_ The speed was too fast for the red head to travel such a distance, and turning into Seraphim form would take too long.

Luckily, Lloyd stepped in the way and blocked it with himself.

Genius, right?

Actually, not really. The attack was not meant to kill, but only to stun. The teenager went down on one knee, but other than that, nothing seemed to be hurt.

The red head was _enraged_.

But just like, the attack and the caster vanished.

---

A little bit of water was sprinkled onto a cloth, cleaning up what the sand did to the young teen's face. The adult red head gently washed all of the dust away as the teen was sleeping. The red head sighed, then turned off to face the edge of the camp, a day's walk away from the town.

They had traveled after the little... excursion. Despite the initial thought, it seemed that Lloyd was fine. (He had to pretend to not be all that well, however.) Yes, the red head was still angry. Yes, he still wanted to choke the life out of whoever did such a thing, but now was not the right time. The red head knew what organization did it, but the others thought that it was the Desians. _Like __**they**__ would ever try to go and kill the Chosen..._ he thought bitterly for some reason. _What if that WASN'T a harmless attack? What if it really hurt your son, Kratos?_

"Do you really care for your apprentice that much, Kratos?"

Raising his head up, the adult turned to face the white haired Raine, who was obviously awake and looking at him. The red head stared back, keeping the emotion deep inside. Making a small mental note to himself about the fact that he still needs to remember that Raine doesn't fall asleep until an hour later, he began to respond. "We have been together for a while ever since his mother passed away." Anna thoughts lingered, but were quickly shooed away.

"Oh. So _that's_ it, huh?" The red-orange dressed Professor turned around, then looked back at the sleeping figure. (Which was odd because the teen had slept only a couple of days earlier...) "Kratos, I believe..." She then snapped and turned around to face the adult. "Your apprentice needs to be brought up to have a **PROPER** education! When was the last time he was ever _stepped_ into a school?"

The red head sweated in the back of his head. "School?"

"YES, **school**! Seems all that he has been into was some sort of battle training or something along the lines. No formal education at **all**! This time tomorrow, while we are traveling towards the ruins, I want him up **bright** and _early_ to learn with Colette AND Genis!"

Arguing was pointless...

----------

_Findings_

----------

There was no time for anything now a days. It seemed that everyday was work, work, work, work for the little kid's Daddy. Whenever Daddy stepped _ONE_ foot inside the city of Welgaia, the higher upper angels ALWAYS got to him first, claiming one mission after an other. It got to be really annoying... Nothing was fun anymore. Already the kid knew how to do shinny moves that made his Daddy _soooooooooooo_ proud. Already the child could recite the whole Khlarlan war from memory. Already the child could swing his little swords around and not accidentally hurt himself.

Already the child wanted to go out.

Being the child of an Angel stunk! Already noon and NO one wanted to play with him!

Time to go bother Uncle Yuan!

Quickly running down he paths, the small child jumped over some cracks on the floor (to ensure that he did not break his father's back) and then ran up a fleet of stairs. Because of the massive steps, the small boy had to jump up some of them, making his brown hair swish from the left and the right. It was a nice sounding swish, but the child ignored it as he kept on going and going and going...

Eventually, he entered the area where his 'Uncle' lived. (Technically, Uncle Yuan _wasn't_ an uncle, but other than that fact...) The surrounding places were white as well, like everywhere ELSE in the City of Angels (and like the rest of the city, the inhabitants could tell if a certain small child left certain small painted fingerprints among the walls...).

Instead of clearly walking into plain view, the small child snuck his way around the door. After all, his Daddy said that it was time for him to start getting all stealthily-like... LIKE A NINJA! (One of the small boy's biggest dream was to become... **a MIZUHO ninja!**) Making sure that the feet were off the ground via glittering wings, the small child floated near the door. Yes, his angelic hearing was still crappy 'cause he was still young, but the point was...

There was some noise emitting from Uncle Yuan's room!

Squishing himself closer towards the door, he made himself listen, and listen good.

"-ready. We just need your permission to begin the search." Nameless...

"That's good. I hope that the child can be found before _they_ find her." Uncle Yuan?

"Yes, my Lord." Nameless again.

"Make sure the Rhieards are all prepared for my return." Uncle.

Like that, the talking ended. Confused, and still bored, the child floated away from the door. It seemed that Uncle Yuan was busy...

He wondered what Nouishe was doing right about then... Maybe he wanted to play ball or something...

----------

_Retouched - [4.25.2009]_


	11. Chapter 11

_Angels of Cruxis  
by: Fehize_

_----------_

The sandstorm had stopped around the general area. That was going to be such a relief on the travelers that were already beginning their accent (or descent, since they were heading downhill) towards the Triet Ruins far, far off into the distance. There was a cliff that seemed to rise out of the edge of the world, tall and majestic, kinda like a mountain that the teenager has seen once long, long ago. In fact, the teen could hardly remember a time when he saw anything taller than the Tower if Salvation. Sure, he had to enter the city of Welgaia via the Tower, but it was not that the teen had seen it everyday or so. Maybe only about twenty or so times in his life, and even that number could be a miscalculation. Sighing, he shook his head, and looked onward.

In the distance, the white haired half-elf Genis appeared, showing his head among the sands. His clothing was **very** contrasting among the golden-tan sands. Blue. A very noticeable color in the daytime. However, at night, it was the ideal color. Looking at his father's own clothing made for another interesting find. After all, it was not like there was a place (outside of Welgaia) that had PURPLE surroundings. How was the red head mercenary supposed to 'melt into the shadows' with that shade? Oh well, it was not like his dad was a ninja or something like that. He guessed mercenaries only needed skill, and not THAT much stealth. Then again... A High Seraphim...

"Hey, Lloyd! Guess who I brought with me!" yelled the brown head's new best friend. One of the hands of Genis was resting on top of the green and white head of Noishe, the protozoan. Normally, Noishe despised others from even going NEAR him (like any poor angel that decided that it was time to send Noishe back to the surface world), but Lloyd told Noishe to _**behave**_. (And gave Noishe some _really_ good pudding as a reward. Even though the brown head knew that taste was something that he... _forgotten_, he at least could ALWAYS taste pudding! Chocolate was his favorite.) So, Noishe behaved.

"Lloyd, I have been wanting to ask you lately, but... Is Noishe really a dog? He doesn't look like one."

Lloyd scratched his head curiously, in a feigning attempt. "Ugh... Yah!"

Now, came in Colette. She was waving high to Lloyd, as well as Genis, as she slowly took one step at a time closer to them. It seemed that she was trying really hard to NOT be a klutz. Lloyd waved high back to her, giving her a warm, friendly smile. She was another new... 'acquaintance' (aka. friend) that Lloyd had. After being stuck in Welgaia, alone, and the only one around his proper age group, it was nice to have people of his own age talk to him. _Even if I have to help destroy the soul of one? Hmmm..._ But he ignored it and smiled back at Genis and Colette. The sun was shinning, and Lloyd found something in the dwarf's clothing's pockets that made for a REALLY good catching ball for Noishe.

So, that was what they played around with until Raine began to enter the area, walking in that very brisk pace that she normally walked with. Her red-orange clothing flowed around her. Needless to say that her white boots were getting dirty and brown, but there was nothing that she could do about the vicious sand that was lying all around. Speaking of the sand, whenever the sound got to be close to unbearable, all the brown head thought was of his mom. Surely his mom would be proud of someone who did not cry out 'cause of **sand**, right?

"Good!" happily exclaimed the Professor, very pleased that she had three classmates to quiz. (Personally, Lloyd did NOT want to do this... But on the bright side it would help his 'cover' as a mere mercenary's helper. He hoped he didn't fall asleep when Raine began to talk on thing he already knew. Not that he was rude or anything... but the thought of 'learning' things he knew since he was, like, _**five**_ was not very pleasing...) "Now, since our little class in now in session, I am pleased to introduce myself. Genis, Colette, you already know who I am, but let's introduce ourselves anyways. My name is Professor Raine, but you may call me Professor. I have been a teacher for a decent while. Genis and I are brother and sister, and we are both elves who wish to teach others about Mana and Mana usage." The brown head got curious. They claimed they were elves? Surely they knew they were half-elves, right? And 'Mana usage'? His dad said that only the people from Teth'ehalla bothered to worry about that. Oh well... Still, his dad was never wrong at anything... "Now it's your turn!"

Genis went next. "Hi! Umm... yah, I am Genis, Genis Sage, and I like to learn about Mana and I rather am fond of casting spells about as well. I also like to cook and talk about knowledge-y stuff!" Genis seemed to be rather embarrassed, and ended the last sentence with a slight high pitch scream-yell-talk thing, but it seemed ok.

"My name is Colette Brunel, but others call me the Chosen One. They say I was born from an angel: Reminal!" _Don't laugh, don't laugh..._ came the mental note. Even though they were friends (or going-to-be friends), it still was rather odd about the fact that she thought that she was the daughter of an angel. He was the only kid coming from an angel, EVER. (It was rather a nice, semi-proud thought to think for him. Going on...) "Most people say that I am a klutz and make random mistakes often, but I just am a little bit clumsy. And I do say sorry all the time! I like to read books and have fun, and pick flowers. They are some of my more favorite things to do. I want to regenerate the world for the future generations!" For some reason, that statement made Lloyd feel... awkward. She was going to sacrifice her soul to save the world, only to end it up to be a host. Life seemed ironic for her.

"What's wrong Lloyd? You don't want to go next or something?" said Genis. The red clothed teen just sighed and blushed slightly, slightly embarrassed and nervous.

"Ahh... Greetings everyone! My name is Lloyd Aurion, and I am Kratos's helper/apprentice. In fact, I have been for a major chunk of my life." That was not a lie. Just not the full truth. "I like to practice with my swords, eat pudding, read, and learn Mana techniques." That was something that he and Genis had in common, and it was really cool. "My favorite animal is Noishe, and I like to explore. My-Kratos says that I am too curious for my own good, often, but I just call it _really_ wide, opened minded!"

The Professor smiled. "Alright! Since we now have names for you, and know about what each of you like to do, let us begin our studies! First thing is first! The Summon Spirits!"

Despite his original thought of this 'already learned' schooling, Lloyd was interested. After all, it was not often that you heard the stories of creation from the other side of the world.

---

"Dad... could _I_ summon a Summon Spirit right now, if I had a pact?"

It was one of the strangest request that the red head has heard for a long time. After all, it was not everyday that your own son asks you if he has the capabilities to have the driving forces of the worlds under his own, personal control. (Not like they were the main forces. Origin was the crucial one. But having them all was also important was well.) It was so surprising, the red head adult forgot to chastise the small lad about using the word 'dad' while outside.

"Umm... I really don't know Lloyd... I mean... I _think_ you can, but you'll need to beat up one and have a purpose..." He stopped himself, and then arched his eye over to face the eager awaiting teenager. "Why do you ask, _**Lloyd**_?"

He smiled that mischievous smile of his. The smile that always made the red head adult worry. In fact, smiles like this often accompanied the telling of other angels, saying things like "Lloyd dyed my hair differently," or something along those lines... Man, did Lloyd get in trouble for that occasion. It was so bad, Yuan's red hair did not come out for three **months**. Lloyd himself had yet to say exactly what type of dyes he added to make it such a permanent-like substance, and neither does the father want to know. Yes indeed, those smiles said something behind them that was not meant to be known to others.

"Go to your friends, Lloyd..."

The red head secretly hoped that there was some way that the son's friends could stay friends instead of scatter in the winds like himself and his old traveling partners...

---

His white haired flapped in the wind as Genis saw the red-clothed teen leave the area where the mercenary, Kratos, was. Lloyd seemed like he was _always_ smiling, and that made for him to be a really good friend. Of course, right now that was the least of his problems. It seemed that Lloyd actually **liked** him. _But what if he starts to hate me because I am a half-elf? What if he scorns me too, AND Raine? Even Colette doesn't know..._

"GENIS! What's going on!" yelled Lloyd. He was now waving his hand up and down, greeting him like some sort of great friend. That was exactly what he wanted, a friend. In the background, he could silently sense his sister watching him and Lloyd with a cautious eye. She was still scared and afraid that Lloyd might turn out to be something sinister and out right evil. In fact, that brings up a good memory to his head...

"_Genis, I do NOT want you to go on off and become closely knit friends with Lloyd. Friends, ok, but not like brothers or something akin to that."_

_"Why not? Lloyd and I like the studying the same stuff, we both like Mana, and we laugh at each other often. He seems like he could be a really good friend!"_

_"But he travels with that mercenary, Genis. Mercenaries are not meant to go and be the nicest people around. Some of them you just can't trust. Most have bad pasts and this Kratos seems like a dangerous one. He... seems so cold, Genis. Cold and... different."_

_"Raine, I am sure he is nice in the inside. After all, who would not want the world to be regenerated? You just need to give others a better judgment."_

_"It's not judgment, Genis. For some reason things just don't seem right. Please, Genis, at least be cautious... I am still unsure about Lloyd's relationship to Kratos. Apprentice? Maybe something more..."_

_"Like what?"_

_"Brothers. If Kratos is up to something - like taking our Gald, or something like that - then odds are Lloyd is in it too."_

_"Raine..."_

_"Just be carefully, Genis..."_

But today, Genis knew that he had to talk about something other than just Mana... He scuttled his way right next to Lloyd and smiled happily as Lloyd began to talk about things in his odd manner of speaking. He did not seem to know modern speech all that well. WELL.... maybe 'modern speech' was not the correct word. After all, Lloyd could speak in the correct _manner_, but it was with often with flourishes that one would expect from some sort of really rich and powerful Lord. Weird. Kratos didn't seem to have that sort of problem of speech. You would think that Lloyd wouldn't know that...

"SO... what are we going to do, Genis?" the brown head asked happily as they left footprints in the sand.

"Lloyd, may I ask you a question?"

"Sure, Genis! We are friends and all that!"

Genis took a deep breath, and then took a really good look at his friend. _Hmm... his eyes __are__ the same, if different colored. And his face is the same-like shape as well. I wonder..._ "Lloyd, is Kratos... your older brother?" The expression of Lloyd tensed slightly, but then eased back to normal once the object of 'brother' came on hand. It was rather odd expression for an accusation...

"No, Genis, Kratos is not my brother. I never had any siblings because my mom died right after me." He sighed a little bit, clutching something in his glove - a token of remembrance, perhaps? - while becoming slightly sadder, but then took a look up to show a content face. "It's alright, Genis. Besides, I can't remember that much except that she was warm and loving feelings." He closed his eyes slightly, then opened them, and then took a glance up towards the sky high above. "Dad says she is an angel now, far, far away..."

Genis turned his head sideways. His dad? Lloyd had _never_, **ever** mentioned a dad since they first began. Not ever. The only people that Lloyd mentioned, outside from the group, was only his dead mother and Kratos. Since he stated that his mother was dead, naturally, Genius assumed that his dad was dead as well. After all, it was not like Kratos was Lloyd's dad or something. Kratos was _way_ too young for that.

"So, where is your dad then, Lloyd? Did you leave him to go work with Kratos?"

"Ugh... Not nessicarily..." his best friend began, slightly stuttering. However, before Lloyd could continue that thought line, Colette began to walk into the area, coming closer and closer. She had that smile that never seemed to faulter from her face. _That's Colette we all know..._ he sighed happily.

"Hey everyone! I am sorry I am so late arriving here. Raine wanted me to learn some interesting things about the Triet Ruins we are heading to." She was always saying sorry for some strange reason, as if everything was always her fault. And it wasn't too!

"Hi, Colette. How was your day so far, aside from your enterauge with Raine?" questioned Lloyd. See, fomal-like speaking. Enterauge? Who said things like that normally every single day? "I heard that we are almost at the first seal from Kratos anyways..."

"Wow, Lloyd! You are _sooo_ lucky that you get to travel around with someone like Kratos!" exclaimed Colette as she looked off towards the sillouette of the ruins far on off into the distance. "I mean, sure, he can be a _little_ bit of an emotion-hider, but deep inside, I am sure that Martel gave him a nice personality! And he knows SO much! Yesterday, when we went traveling around the tops of some sanddunes, I tripped and scrapped myself. Kratos helped me and showed me how to heal a cut without using Mana and using the desert herbs and shrubs instead. Of course, he also told me how to get sand out of my hair-"

"I wish **I** was told that," muttered Genis. He was having to dust off at least _three_ buckets of sand every hour because of the sandstorms... and even then he didn't get all of it...

"- and from my wound right before healing it completely with First Aid!" she finished. Genis nodded in coolness approval.

"Yah, he is a little bit cold seeming, but he seems like a really nice guy! So, what kind of stuff have you seen with him anyways, Lloyd?"

His brown headed friend just got embaressed and rubbed the back of his head, a lot. "Umm... Actually, this is one of the very first times I actually get out of my home shelter..."

"No way!" answered Genis in a shocked surprise. "'One of the very first times'? Where were you living in, prision?"

"Genis..." cautioned Colette. "That was not very nice."

"It was a _joke_, Colette."

"I know that!" Now, Colette began to whisper into Genis's ear, VERY softly. "It was just Kratos was looking at us right now. I didn't want us to get in trouble! Hehehe. Oh, and I am sorry for being so mean." At that moment, said man begun to walk over towards them all, with his feet making little sand swirl around them.

"Genis, Chosen One, and Lloyd. We have to get going now. The Triet Ruins are only a few steps away from here. Come on, we must hurry up and make sure that we enter in there and leave before night begins to fall down. Unless, Chosen One, you wish to rest for the remainder of the day." Genis gulped down deep inside. At least Kratos didn't hear his suspicions! That would not be one of the coolest things around to happen...

---

The ruins were rising up from the sands of time, like a whale rising up at a slow pace to make suitable air run into its lungs. Except, unlike the majestic whale, the ruins were stationary and did not fall steadily down into the surface of the ocean of sand. The mercenary had only just seen it when another field of sand blocked it from view. Lloyd was running right beside him quickly, with his little feet patting and making imprints in the 'snow'.

"Hey, Kratos. I think Raine is suspicious of you or something. I just say her giving you the evil eye."

"Lloyd... That is not the nicest thing to say about others..." began the red head. He sighed, thinking about how in the world his son grew up to be a little bit blunt. _Maybe because whenever I chastized him, I never really meant it. Oh, bother..._ "Still, thanks for the information, but I highly doubt she knows the truth."

Together, they were getting ready to go on and prepare camp. The Chosen One had decided that they should spend the night right by the Treit Ruins so that they would be able to hurry and heads off towards the inside in the morning. He turned his head over towards his son. "Lloyd, you should get some sleep. I'll be the lookout, alright."

Lloyd pouted, mainly because he was not sleepy at all yet.

----------

_Raine has just earned the title 'Over-Cautious Sister.'_

_Retouched - [4.25.2009]_


	12. Chapter 12

_Angels of Cruxis  
by: Fehize_

_----------_

The sky pierced in the early morning sunshine. The sharp contrast of blue on tan made for a strange abbreviation of colors among the morning setting. The temperature was already rising up among the floor, yet hotter among the rocks than on the sands. No one was necessarily sweating yet, but that was not the main topic that the travelers were worrying about right then. None indeed. The large sandstone and granite bricks that were blackened and charred into a dark grey color stood right in front of them. The Triet Ruins. Those were one of the few last ruins that resided from the times of long ago. No more could anyone see such immense structures of Human and Elven engineering. No one, pray for the Seraphim that were walking amongst the Chosen's group.

The blonde hair of Colette was whipping back and forth in the wind, the sand whooshing away and not being tangled within it. It was a great technique that Kratos taught her, for just earlier yesterday all of that sand got into her food once she stalled to eat something. She glanced down at the food in her slightly covered hand, and then inwardly sighed. How many more weeks will she have left until she stops eating all together? She was glad no one could understand what was going to happen to her when she was going to become and angel. She would only worry the others, and then the other might forget that she is just a vessel needed to save the world. _A __**vessel**_, she thought sadly while keeping her face happy and cheerful, _is all that I was born for. To save Slyverate from destruction and to restore Mana from the Goddess Martel. It is better for the others, but sometimes..._ The Chosen just shook her head. After all, it is her duty to help the people who are in need. The whole WORLD needed her! Otherwise...

She glanced far on off ahead towards the two people that were usually hanging out with each other. Lloyd and Kratos, mercenary extraordinaire and the pupil-like teenager. They were apparently talking about something to each other, mainly for the fact that both were making hand gestures and other things like that. She liked Lloyd. He seemed so full of life and so full of friendship. Kratos seemed like some sort of guardian for him though, more so than her for some reason. Maybe it was 'cause of all of the times they must have spent together!

---

Raine saw the ruins come closer with each step. In fact, they were practically on top of them before she actually stated anything about them, despite their age and their importance. She was far more busily thinking about what Lloyd _Aurion_ said yesterday afternoon. After all, his last name was Aurion, and **Kratos's** last name was Aurion... She knew that because Kratos stated his name the first time they met, but never said it again. _Hmmm... Lloyd stated that his mother died before she could have any other family members. But how can that be? Kratos and Lloyd share the same last name, but Kratos __**certainly**__ could not have conceived Lloyd. Unless he went off with some girl around ten or twelve, and that is illogical... If Lloyd has no brothers, than WHO is Kratos? Or did Lloyd just 'adopt' the Aurion last name...? _Raine began to ponder around, ignoring mostly everyone around her for the moment. She held her hand at her chin, allowing her thought flow to go along and giver her possible information. _Now, he COULD have been adopted by Kratos, but that seems to be almost impossible as well. I mean, they share the same eyes, the same more-or-less hairstyle that is grown upon their heads, and the same stature! That means blood relative by some means or another..._

Raine took a look around to face the two mercenaries (wither it be that one was the real mercenary and the other was a trainee, pupil, acquaintance, etc.) that were investigating the ruins with Colette and Genis. Both had outfits that seemed to dwell and reside in the norm., but one (Kratos) seemed to be far more wiser and... She could not really place a decent word on top of the notion she was getting from Kratos. Lloyd seemed like he was a bit spoiled. _Hmm... I overheard him mention something about his father still being alive somewhere. That must mean Kratos must at least know the father, therefore, Lloyd could not be adopted by Kratos. Why am I still not getting it! I am drastically missing something very important here!_ Indeed she was, but how was she to know that the two whom she thought were pocket thieves were actually indeed Seraphim angels?

Another look at them only said something else though. They seemed to be incredibly close. Well, at least Lloyd did. _If not brothers, how else could they be related? Cousins?_ Unfortunately for her, 'cousins' seemed to be redeemed as the best possible answer choice for her at the current moment. Perhaps she could squeeze the answer out of Lloyd somehow. And speaking of Lloyd...

She didn't even want to go NEAR thinking about his study habits! When she called to him about the Goddess Martel, he just kinda stood there, blinking, saying: "Martel...? Oh, Goddess, right?" Except with the tone like she was NOT a goddess at all! _Surely he at least LEARNED something from traveling with Kratos, considering it seems to be that he knows quite a major bit!_ When it came to the Kharlan War, he responded that Mithos was a kid who was a half-elf and saved the world with other half-elves and one Human. Clearly, that could not be the right answer, otherwise she would not have been kicked out of her home with Genis if half-elves truly saved the world... Or worlds, mainly because she KNEW that Teth'ella existed somewhere out of her reach. The land of her mother, the land of Genis's and her birth, the land of massive discrimination that called half-elves something just higher than something equivalent to a Desian...

**That** was a major reason as to why she did not want Genis to hang around with Lloyd. 1) Lloyd is with Kratos, who, despite helping them earlier, is DEFINATLY up to something. 2) Lloyd is a Human, and Humans _loath_ half-elves more than they loath winter destroying their crops. (Not that she is to blame them, too much. After all, Desians were half-elves and they take Humans away.) No doubt once he finds out Genis and herself are half-elves, he will shun them or try to hurt them. The same with Kratos, who she did NOT want to find out. Goddess Martel forgive her if he found out and was a hard-core half-elf hater. Finally 3)... She was a bit afraid that Lloyd might make Genis a bit dumber and reckless. Sure, he _claimed_ that he knew Mana, but so far his studies seemed to lack that informational boost that claimed he actually knew what he was doing.

Raine turned her white boots over to face Genis, who was now with Lloyd and the Chosen One, chatting and laughing away. Of course the Chosen One, Colette, did not know that they were half-elves. No one knew except the citizens of Hemindale... Lloyd and Genis were making funny faces at each other, VERY immature-like. She wanted to tell Genis to stop right away, for Lloyd smelt dangerous. But... she could not allow herself to make such a notion. Here he was, FINALLY going along, making friends, and she couldn't allow herself to bring him away from that.

Of course, she was still going to watch Lloyd like a hawk.

"Professor Raine? Can you follow us into the chamber? We have been here for the past five minutes waiting for you."

With a start, Raine looked up and noticed that Kratos was staring at her. Sheepishly, she turned around and saw that the entrance was already opened via Colette someway or another. Genis, Colette, and Lloyd were standing by the corner, all kinda staring at her. It seemed that her deep thought had caused a moment of brief happenstance. "I am sorry. I was thinking about something..."

Genis smiled, and then muttered to Lloyd. "Must have been a **big** thought frame because she didn't go all ruin mode on us."

Raine frowned angrily and lightly slapped him for his misbehavior.

---

The inside of the Triet Ruins really was what one thought up of when they wanted to find Hell. It was quite simple, really, to find the similarities between Hell and the ruins. After all, the ruins were sent down by Efreet's Hellfire, which are the signature fires from that desolate place. The heat was not something to be worried about at all because heat was something that was irreverent to two people. However, Kratos had to make sure that all of the others (including Lloyd so that none would suspect him... more...) chugged down plenty of water as well as rested every couple of steps.

The stone that hanged over the pits of lava were hot to the touch. Raine, Genis, and Chosen One were all showing the faces of how much they hated the dreaded heat on their faces, but only Genis muttered out loud softly towards Lloyd. The red head couldn't hear it, however, because despite the background effect of lava bubbling up towards the surface; other sounds were not mute. It was silent for the whole way through the puzzles that rested in the first alter for the Chosen One's sacrifice.

He turned his head to face what the rest were doing. They were all going along (with the exception of Raine), fighting with each other to see who was going to be able to jump over the pair of rocks first. Lloyd wanted to, much to the mercenary's disapproval, go on first 'cause he had the Sorcerer's Ring - the ring that would prove useful to solve puzzles - and was the unofficial 'leader' of the younger children. Genis wanted to, because he had never done such a thing without Raine's permission. Finally, the Chosen One wanted to because the others were doing it.

There were monsters, but they were absolutely trivial against what the adult had to fight against in his older days. When he took a glance to face over towards his son, he was busy chanting with Genis an ice spell.

All in all, the puzzles were solved quickly, the monsters destroyed and fallen - Raine using the Magic Lenses on everything new - and then pushed away before they reached the sanctum that housed the alter. Finally, there was the un-forgetful rumble that signified that it was time for battle.

"Colette!" screamed Raine. "It's fire! Try not to get to close to it! Genis! Ice and water is its weakness! Kratos aim for the-"

However, the red head did not need to be told where weak spots were. With a quick flick of his sword, he managed to stab it straight in the thigh, immobilizing it from one leg. In the background, he could hear Lloyd chanting... _Great!_ he thought. For Lloyd was apparently casting Ice Tornado. He turned his head around to see the outer fringes of light blue light that was being ready to cast. _At least he stalled the spell and didn't make it instant..._ he thought, muttering in his head.

"Freeze!" Lloyd screamed. "Ice Tornado!" It seemed that he was trying to copy after Genis's little wording at the front of each spell. Not the exact words, but close enough. Colette grabbed her weapons and then threw them towards the horned head of the monster boss, and then Raine healed her, for she was smacked by a fire attack from one of the little ones.

The fight went rather well to Kratos's view point, and then it was Reminal yet again. With so much things going about in Cruxis, Reminal was the one to go and do this job about 'granting the Chosen of Mana' with her angelic gifts.

It all went rather quickly. In fact, too quickly for a regular view point. Genis was un-doubtfully excited that Colette had now just suddenly sprouted wings (all Chosen's wings were in a Seraphim style. This was because Martel was to have translusive wings as well...), and Raine was busy looking about and taking a good note of her surroundings. There seemed to be a wild commotion going on when they were walking before Colette tripped over something and suddenly started to fall ill.

Like according to plan, he decided to start up a camp right in the desert so that Colette could rest. Everyone else agreed in unison. Like always, he accepted and gave himself the job of night watch. Genis and Lloyd went in their own direction of towards the trees, Colette by the fire, looking at the stars feeling slightly better, Raine watching over her, and Noishe curling up right next to the red headed mercenary. The sun had already set, and the night noises were gone. After all, in a desert, most animals were already sleeping by then.

---

It was about two hours after midnight. The moon was not on it zenith, but getting rather close towards the forth section of the night sky. The air was cold - not that the brown head teenager had to worry about though. He had a MUCH bigger thought in his head. A thought that was _**so**_ GENUIS that he just **had** to execute it. Stretching his head around the tall palm tree grove he and Genis were spending the night, he noticed his father watching the area around. There was at least a hundred or two feet distance between both of them. A distance that was JUST enough for Lloyd to sneak by without making too much noise to be heard. It would sound, instead, of a random palm branch swaying in the wind.

VERY slowly, he began to stand up and make himself erect. He took his head around to see the background. _Good, he didn't hear it! Thank goodness that I went and practiced myself for sneaking out in Welgaia!_ Even more slowly, he waltzed his way around the shadows of the groves and then began to walk in the sand. Perhaps 'walking' was the incorrect term. He did not want to go about and leave markings in the sand that yelled "Here was Lloyd!" in case anyone was searching for him. Instead he hopped on some leaves that were spread out among the ground, despite most of them were dead.

He arched his head up and took a great look up at one of the Triet Ruins columns that were sticking up like a cookie in the middle of a field of ice cream field (the good kind with the little vanilla wafers...). Looking around, his brown hair gently swaying too and fro, he snuck inside the stairs that lead underground.

---

Genis couldn't sleep. His resting fuzzy object had magically vanished and his head thonked down on the wood of the palm tree, hitting his cranium and making his head hurt. A lot. (He saw stars twinkling by before he regained the ability to see!) Shaking his head about, he noticed that Kratos was staring in his general direction. _Wow, he has good hearing..._ he thought muttering. Eventually, Kratos turned his head away from him. Yawing, Genis turned around and was going to bug Lloyd when he realized that...

Loyd was gone! He was just... POOF! _Oh man! Where did he go?_ Looking both ways, he started to panic. Did something happen to him? Was he getting water? Exploring...

_Wait a minute,_ Genis thought suddenly as he began to grab his magical weapon ball-connected-to-stick-with-a-string. _Lloyd mention something 'bout how he wanted to see the rest of the Ruins without other around... Uh oh..._ Genis thought he knew where Lloyd snuck out too. _He must have snuck out to the ruins! Man! What if he gets hurt, or stuck, or gets knocked unconscious! There are some strong monsters in there that he might not be able to handle on his own!_ He thought about talking to Kratos, but went against it. After all, the adult might get mad at the white hair's friend. _Best buds have to stay together!_ He decided to go and follow Lloyd into the ruins. Maybe, if he ran fast enough, he could go and catch up to Lloyd and try to persuade him NOT to do such a stupid thing!

His little feet were used to go about and run. Pattering by pattering, he managed to get in the inside. Once there, he noticed that there were some footprints that were going back in, not washed away from the winds that were common during the day. _Lloyd!_

Avoiding monsters and other things of the like, he scrambled along the path. However, he noticed that Lloyd was getting closer towards the alter where Colette was. _What is he doing here?_ It all ended up at the spot where the magitechnology was the one spot that would transport him towards the inner part. Gulping out of fear, he stepped on the platform and was swallowed by the light that was existing because of the warp.

He stepped into a calm and peaceful room, and came out into a WAR!

Fire was erupting from either side of the place, melting something or other! Genis felt TWO immense forces of Mana going all out against one another. _Oh Goddess Martel! Lloyd's in trouble!_ He dodged a flying hunk of magma, and then saw a HUGE figuring of a face off towards the side... The little half elf's eyes widened up wide. _Efreet! Holy cow!_ THERE, _right __**in **__**front**__** of **__**HIM**__**!**_ Strangely, he wasn't aiming his hits towards Genis, the little guy that snuck in in the middle of the night. No... the Fire Summon Spirit was aiming at something else...

Lloyd.

Genis turned his head around and made his eyes focus among the fire and heat. There was Lloyd! But... with _**wings?**_ YES, they _were_ greenish-blue wings, fluttering up and down! What this? A Mana circle?

"Take this, Efreet! I can bet you were not expecting THIS! Tidal Wave!" With that cry, hundreds of waves slapped around the Summon Spirit, taking it down. _Lloyd... has... wings...? Oh my god! WHAT is he?_ Then, without spell casting time, the brown haired teenager just threw forwards the final, Ice Tornado in a way that symbolized that he was only playing around. With a little flying woot, Genis saw Lloyd flutter in a circle above the ground and then settle down on to the ground. With a happy, little smile, he opened up his mouth. "Efreet! My vow shall be that I shall go and help others from the same fate as my mom, no matter what that would be!" With an awe-like look upon his face, Genis saw the little summon ritual be completed as Lloyd retracted his wings back into himself. Walking forwards, all the while Lloyd celebrating, all Genis could say was this as he came into his friend's line of sight:

"Lloyd? YOU'RE an _**angel**_?"

----------

_Aionis_

----------

It was early in the morning as the Seraphim was holding the struggling little baby. The sun was glowing upon the face of the city that rested high among the sky as the brown hair glinted off because of some of the baby oils. In one hand of the father was a large glass of water. In the other...

A blue haired man was standing right next to the red head. He was looking about and looking at the black, glistening blob that was seemingly pulsing in the arm of the red Seraphim. "Are you sure about this. After all, Kratos, that stuff is nasty."

"He needs to learn Mana, and I am not to sure that he got the Mana abilities in his blood, so I have to give this to him."

The blue hair arched his head sideways, his black little cape flowing backwards a bit. "Wasn't his mother an angel though?"

The red head stopped momentarily and then turned his head sideways to face the waiting man. "Yuan, yes, she is an angel right now..." Why was it that every time he brought that up Kratos always got that strange look upon his face? It was different and odd to see upon the normally mono-emotional man.

"Ok, little Lloyd, open up. This is going to make you all nice and strong later on!" _Baby talk? That is something that I could not really see coming out of his face unless I saw it myself!_

With a really big gulping and slurping noise, the small child drank up the large, black blob. Then it was silent for a while. The baby began to make a face that made his little body squirm around. Yuan began to grimace. He has heard of the horrid taste of Aionis before, mainly coming from Kratos many years ago, complaining for DAYS about the bad aftertaste that it left in his mouth.

Lloyd, the baby, burped. Then coddled. _Coddled_.

Both Seraphim blinked as they saw the small child try to reach the rest of the Aionis that was hanging around by Kratos's hand. With a small swipe, the child took it... _and began to chomp down on the rest!_ With a sickened look, Yuan stared at the red headed man. "Kratos, I believe you son is actually _**liking**_ this stuff!" Slurp! There went the rest of it. Now the small child was looking around eagerly, wanting no doubt to eat much more.

"Unbelievable..." muttered Kratos as Yuan nodded in agreement.

"Burp!" Cue in the giggle noises...

------

_I look back, and it seems a littttle bit rushed. Oh well. Too lazy to make it not.  
Just bare with the old writing style. -laughs-_

_Retouched - [4.25.2009]_


	13. Chapter 13

_Angels of Cruxis  
by: Fehize_  
_  
----------_

There was the heat of the flames coming out from the boiling pit of magma and lava that was resting right below the feet of the two teenager kids that were standing by the edge of the sacred alter deemed by Cruxis, the organization of the angels that were out to unify the world under their own meaning. The little fire flakes that were flying about were gently cooling off into the air at a fast rate, leaving a soft glow of light around them for a mere moment of brightness before they faded away into the mists. The two figures were staring at each other right about then, ignoring the fact that the heat had just intensified slightly because of the release of the Fire Summon Spirit. A Summon that was called upon and pacted by a brown haired Seraphim that was just busted by his good friend, the spell-casting half-elf.

"Lloyd? I... I just..." stuttered the small child with the white hair. "You?"

The brown head began to have a very bad emotional thought-feeling moment right about then. _Uh oh... Busted..._ A small little nervous sweat thought passed his mind as he noticed that the other person was still staring at him for what seemed to be the first time ever. "Hehehe.. Hi... Genis... What are you doing here...?" Lloyd was beginning to become a tad bit frightful. After all, it was his first job for Cruxis, he was supposed to NOT get caught, he was supposed to go on ahead and do lots of stuff... **Not** go on ahead and get captured by someone on about the first couple of days! That was not good in any way, shape, or form!

"I was following you, thinking you were going to get into trouble! Not... not THIS!" Yes, it seemed that Lloyd's friend was still rather stunned and pointing towards the area around them both. Some fire scorch marks could still be seen, despite the end of the fight a couple of minutes ago. Then again, that was to be expected. The teenager was wishing he should have made sure that Genis was sleeping soundly... _**Now**_ he was in some DEEP trouble... _Deep shit, Lloyd. REALLY deep shit!_ he thought. He knew that he was NOT supposed to say such rough language, but his father wasn't there to listen (or read his thoughts) and he had a much bigger thing on his mind! (Besides, his dad often said things like that whenever he did something wrong or if Lloyd ever did anything big AND wrong. At least he has the excuse of saying, "You said it first!")

"Wow, Genis! You really are quite good at sneaking around in the bush. You know what, I think it's time to go right about now-"

"Lloyd!" The stunned shouting of his own personal name made the teenager stop, despite his original intentions to go on ahead and 'leave' (in truth, just turn around and look away). "You... You are a REAL angel! Oh my Goddess Martel!" Lloyd twitched again. _Busted. Busted. Busted. REALLY busted. BIG shit alert!_ Genis was slowly beginning to advance towards the brown-haired Serpahim angel, and that made Lloyd even more nervous. "It makes sense! It does! Your knowledge during school, the way you have a different speech pattern than the rest of us, **everything**, including your weapons of choice!"

"Ah! Genis! It would be wise if you-"

With the cutting in of Lloyd's talk, the white haired half elf jumped up and down excitedly. "THAT'S why Kratos and you look alike, you must both be ANGELS! Not accomplice and mercenary, but angel and angel, here to help us, in secret, for the world regeneration!" More hopping. Lloyd was actually rather stunned at the fact that Genis could DERIVE some crucial information like that. Not all, apparently, but still a major large chunk. "I _**knew**_ something was up between you both that I couldn't exactly place my finger on. And here Raine was thinking you two were POCKET thieves! Oh my Goddess MATREL!"

"AH! Genis! PLEASE!" plead the teenager. He was beginning to become rather nervous as the talk was getting a little bit too carried away. _Wait. Pocket thieves?_ "Now, Genis...!"

But it was to late for waits and other things. The little white haired half-elf was still having those stunned eyes, but hopping up and down faster than normal. His eyes were filled with some sort of... awe? "Wow! My friend is an ANGEL!" Lloyd didn't know what exactly to say. Should he smack him silly? No, that was mean and NOT friend-like. NOT something he would do. Still, he couldn't exactly go on ahead and pretend that Genis didn't see it. He knew his friend saw, and ignoring it would just make everything worse and more complicated.

"What is it, Lloyd? Are you sad or something like that? I mean, you look..." It was silent as it seemed that Genis was getting a sudden memorization realization. He had a little thinking face on his head, furrowing his eyebrow and thinking about something big. Fianlly, he glanced up at Lloyd. "I _get_ it, Lloyd! This whole help the Chosen bit was supposed to be absolutely secret! Don't worry, I won't tell anyone."

"Not even Kratos!" yelled Lloyd. _Oh man! I hope Genis can keep it to himself! Or dad's gonna KILLLLLLLLL me!_ "ESPECIALLY **NOT** Kratos!"

It seemed that Genis got the message. "Alright," he said with a stare, "gesh, not even Kratos." Silence. "This is so cool! I'm a friend with an Angel of Cruxis!" he said, hopping his hands up and down. That little happy expression filled his head.

Yet, Lloyd was troubled about something. _Yah, friend with someone who is going to betray you..._ he thought sadly as Genis and him began to leave the inside of the ruins before the sun would rise far towards east.

---

"Where were you two?" came the angry voice from within the red headed adult looking at two little teenagers that were looking down.

"You worried me **sick**, Genis, you know that?" came the yell from Raine. She had her hands at her hips, angrily swaying from side to side, ready to slap Genis again. Lloyd was spared because the mercenary had his own thing to do, alone. "Gone for almost the WHOLE night! What were you doing? Heading off towards Triet to get a glass of water or something!" SLAP! No, it seemed that Genis got another one. _Sibling love? Hmph._ The adult crossed his arms and then took a look at Lloyd.

"I am very disappointed with you Lloyd. Running off in the middle of the night with Genis somewhere. What if you were hurt or lost?" He aimed that look directly at Lloyd. There was Lloyd's main punishment, mainly because of the fact that one of the greatest joys in his life was to make his dad proud of him. Usually, almost often, he did; not today. He turned around to face Colette, who was also worried of Lloyd. In fact, she was the one who realized that Lloyd was missing, much to Kratos's surprise. Apparently, his son managed to sneak out with only the sounds of tress whooshing in the wind. _At least he is improving on his stealth._ The red head heard Genis move about around midnight or so, but Kratos thought nothing really of it. When he saw Genis, it seemed he was just restless. By the time he realized that Genis was not by the tree anymore, Colette, who couldn't sleep exactly either, noticed that both of them were gone. Unlike Kratos, who was in FRONT of the palms, Colette was nearby them. Instead of following them, he decided to wait for them to return.

As was Raine, quite angrily.

Once they both were back, Raine gave the last slap on top of Genis's head with a mighty wave of her hand. The adult could swear that even BIRDS startled when such a noise was made by the contact of hair and flesh. However, once that was finished, Raine turned around to face him in an angry look. "YOU!" she began, pointing not at Lloyd, but at the Seraphim. "It was ALL your pupil's fault that Genis ran off with him on some CRAZY adventure! If only you made your pupil LEARN some decent manners, then none of this would have HAPPENED!"

That caught the Seraphim off guard. "What?"

She poked him, right on the chest. "That's right, BUSTER! _YOUR_ pupil made MY brother go off on some 'hiking trip' that could have KILLED him!" She began to poke him again...

_Poke. Poke. "Kratos! Wake up, you dundering sleepy-head! Wake up! It's about mid-afternoon right about now!" Poke. Poke. Massive poke._

_"Go away..."_

_"Man! You can sleep like a log, you know that, Kratos? Now RISE AND SHINE! It's a __**beautiful**__ day outside! Let's go on a picnic!" Poke. Poke._

_"Mmnth..."_

_"__Someone__ seems to be grumpy in the morning! Come ON, Kratos. You are wasting the whole day away! You said you'll go on a picnic with me! Come on!" Poke. Poke._

_"Let me SLEEP, Anna..."_

_"PICNIC! P-I-C-N-I-C! It CALLS you! Listen! 'Kratos! Kratos! Eat me! I am delicious and nutritious! Food! Eat! Good! Kratos! Mmmm! Food!'" Silence. "You are still not awake!" Killer pokes._

_"I'm up! Gesh! Stop the poking!"_

_"But it's so much FUN!" Poke. Poke. "Mr. Grumpy-Morning-Poo!" More poke._

It didn't stop. Raine still went onwards. In the background of the red head's mind, the whole episode was becoming harder and harder to bear. On and on it went. "All YOUR fault, Kratos! Train your pupil correctly before he kills Genis!" The white haired professor poked him, her finger jabbing right into his side...

"**STOP IT, YOU ARE NOT ANNA! SHE'S DEAD!**"

Silence ensued, and the massive taps of the finger stopped. The red adult stood in the middle of a circle of people who just stood there, staring at the fierceness of the anger that dripped from the voice. One could SWEAR that there was this aura of strife and hatred, black and sinister forming around the man like ice and fire: two opposing elements that mixed in a strange and horrible way. Kratos had his face in an angry position, and then opened his eyes up to stare at the people around him. Automatically, he pulled his eyes back into the normal, mono-'motion face while his insides were tossing about.

"I'm sorry, Raine. Please forgive my outbreak. I just need to be alone," he began as he turned away and began to walk towards a secluded area of the sands, whisping around and leaving him enveloped in a cocoon of tan that hid the others from sight when the first winds began to pick up and swirl by his feet...

---

It took a while for the red headed adult to get all of his emotions and other ties under check. His heart was not faring all that well. _Anna. Here I go again, exploding at someone because they did something that you did..._ The only one that didn't face his wrath was Lloyd, because that was - in her sense - her gift to him, and whenever he did something like that, it brought laughs with only a small glimpse of pain, instead of the torturous memory.

Standing up, he dusted himself to make sure that all of the sand grains were whipped off away from his purple outfit. It was his only purple one, and he needed to make sure that it stayed in mint condition. That's because of the fact that the time to repair it would take forever. Not only that, but people sometimes stared when they saw him mend his own clothing. Stared a lot. There was not a lot of sand because he had ways of getting the worst of it gone, but there was still enough on his rear to say that he was sitting on something.

By the time he got back to the others, the sun was perhaps already mid-way through the morning. Raine had served breakfast - Lloyd was perhaps glad by then taste was a thing long since passed while Genis only _WISHING_ he had no tongue - by then, and everyone was ready to get moving onto Triet again. Only Lloyd had the courage to look at the adult straight in the eyes when he arrived. The others were looking away, saddened by something.

The Chosen One spoke up first. "I am sorry, Kratos. Really... Are you feeling better?"

Raine cut her off very slightly. "I should be the one asking for forgiveness. I am sorry I did something that brought about a painful memory. Please, I ask for your forgiveness and your pardons."

Kratos shook his head. "No, I am sorry for... expressing myself like that. It is not normal of me." The red head could not really understand as to why he did something that rash. It **was** not his usual character, but he ignored it. The last time he did something like that was towards Yuan, and then Yuan got confused as to why he screamed Anna. Yuan didn't know the truth, but got mighty suspicious until Yggdrasil told him to watch the Zelos fellow. This was something that Yuan despised often. Once, when the red head asked, all the blue haired Seraphim could say was that there was too. many. girls. Cryptic, no?

Over the next hour or so, they began to move away from their campground that was situated between the groves of palm trees and headed out towards the sands that were once again forming into those little storms that were common of the area. Kratos was in the front along with Lloyd, followed by the Chosen One, and then Genis and Raine. It was a rather small and delightful group, but all in all, everyone was ready to go and sleep in a real bed somewhere. On the two day trek through the desert, they defeated monsters, collected Gald, whined (mainly Noishe), etc. Nearing evening on the second day, the small little town of Triet began to rise up in front of them, like a little dot that seemed to appear out of nowhere. It was too early to hit the beds, but was too late to eat lunch.

Kratos got everyone's attention. "Alright everyone, get some rest no later than ten. We leave before the sun rises so that we will not get caught in any other sandstorms when we attempt to reach the pass. Chosen One," he continued, taking a look directly at her, "you are the one who needs the most protection. Since we are so close to the Desians, they might come out and attack you in the night. Raine and Genis, it would be wise if you stay with her in the general area to make sure nothing happens." He paused for a moment, allowing them to accept the information, and then took a look at his son. "Lloyd, you and I are going to have a talk, understand?"

Everyone nodded. However, before anyone was to go towards the inn and take a rest there, the Chosen One began to have this excited, happy look upon her face. "Kratos! I have this great and awesome idea! Since we are going off towards the next seal tomorrow, how about we all head towards the Fortune Teller?"

----------

_Small Time Frame Plot Hole fixed! Nothing major. Also fixed a minor error in Kratos' speech pattern_

_Retouched - [4.25.2009]_


	14. Chapter 14

_Angels of Cruxis  
by: Fehize_

_----------_

_Of Sugar and Spice_

_----------_

Noishe was hungry.

It was not every day that the sun was shinning at such an immense intensity of color and heat. Everyone around the general area was getting wet instead of holding out their tongues and going HA-HA-HA-HA like the green and white protozoan "dog" was doing. No, they were instead holding giant fans up towards themselves, swashing back and forth, back and forth. The bright globe of hot golden orange was something that seemed to intensify during later in the day. His best buddy had claimed that it was the fact that the seasons were beginning to hit their zenith before changing back towards the colder season. His buddy knew _everything_, from how long it took for plants to grow to knowing exactly where other things were in PITCH darkness by just sound alone. In fact, sometimes Noishe wondered if his red headed buddy was more protozoan than Seraphim. Sure did seem that way!

"Here, Noishe, here you go, boy," came the reply from his buddy. The mercenary was feeding some tib bits of trail mix bought at the local little cart store in the city of Melitokio, and they were rather well-tasting. The protozoan reached down his head and began to nibble from the purple gloved hand, letting his whole nose area get right into the cup of the flesh. After that was all done, the green and white animal-like being looked forwards and licked his buddy RIGHT in the face. It was a good day!

---

Occasionally, days were like that. Many years ago, his best buddy always went around with him towards the far sceneries of both lands, viewing the sights. It was during those trips that his buddy got a gal. Not that she wasn't pretty or anything, Noishe just thought that MAYBE he could have chosen a nicer looking specimen of life. Like a pink and white protozoan. THAT would have been nice to see around, but no, he brought along the brown haired human girl.

Now, **she** was nice. Morning was a rub on the belly, lunch was a rub on the belly, dinner was a rub on the belly, and right before bed was a rub on the belly. His buddy stated that she was spoiling him rotten, but she just laughed and shook her head no. It was always like that for a short while. She would say something, and he would laugh very slightly. She claimed it was cute, and that made him have a strange expression upon his head: an expression that the protozoan had trouble finding in the last 4,000 years plus. She had these REALLY big, brown eyes and brown hair and even LOOKED like his buddy. _Maybe that's why he likes her,_ came the random muse every once in a while. Sure, he got rubbed and petted from his best bud, but she seemed to get more attention. No, Noishe was NOT jealous, but it was nice to see his bud smile.

One time, right after shooing Noishe right outside many hours earlier, his buddy emerged with a weird expression. A _really_ weird one. From then on, it was all about the brown head. Is she ok? Is she fine? Has she eaten enough food? Has she hurt herself? Tripped over something? Is she in pain? Does she want food from this place (which was halfway across Slyverant)? Sweets? Flowers from a high mountain range? How about little pretty trinkets for her hair? Does she feel like lying down? Taking a walk around the path of green grass? Is she sick? She's sure she's not? Getting enough water? Getting enough milk? Is there a bug on her? Is something bothering her? Does she want to take a nap? Go to sleep for a few hours? Sleep early? Stay in bed late? Ah! Cooking! Does she want him to cook? Too bad, he's doing it anyways. She is sure she is not upset about that, right? Is she hot? Is she cold? Does she want to do something? Paint? Draw? Swim a little? Wait, no swimming! No tripping, no falling, NO dying! He's sorry, he didn't mean to yell at you! How about planting some flowers? Yes? Reading books? These really big, nice ones about...war? Er, romance! Love? ... SciFi? How many months have passed? Weeks? What day is it? Is she sure that there is a doctor nearby? What, him? Oh yah... a First Aid! Is she sure that she wants to get First Aided? By a woman? What's wrong with him? What about Noishe? He's fine. Really. How about her? Is that a cut? Shit, that's a cut! What? Stop saying things like that? But- No buts? Alright! Ah! Sorry for yelling! Oh, he's sorry. About... yah... that... So on and so forth.

It made Noishe _**CRAZY**_!

Then, came the tiny little chew-toy like thing. It was small, and once again Noishe got shooed away from a room (except he returned after a couple of minutes, more or less). His best buddy came on out with thin really big smile and then bended down over towards the protozoan. "Here you go, Noishe. This is Lloyd." The green and white 'dog' sniffed the brown hair of the REALLY small cross of a human and a Seraphim. It smelled like... chew toy? Well, **that** sure is a descriptive scent, isn't it? Noishe actually had half a mind to chew on its head. NOT IN A BAD WAY, of course, but something that smelled like that _must_ be soft and squishy, right? Of course, the best buddy would have his white hind before THAT would ever happen! Like the brown haired woman, the little chew toy was the CEO holder of the NAHAA (National Angelic-Human Affection Agency, coined by Noishe without a doubt), except had the 'corruption' of a big Exsphere leader. Instead of only _one_ person going "Aww! Cuteness!" there were **two**! TWO!!! But NO, the little chew toy acted so cute and innocent, with those really big brown eyes, the sucking of its thumb, the yawns, etc. (Yet when Noishe did more or less the same thing, all he got was a pat on his head!)

And then Noishe got drooled on; _**slobbered.**_ Right after taking a bath forcefully, most unfortunately. Here he was nice and squeaky clean, ready to fall asleep for a while, and then "BLAHHHHHHHH!!!" A little cheesed off on that day already, he kicked the sleeping chew toy off his back...

Then came in the storm of yells, angry finger pointing, anger faces... All times two! His best buddy was mad, his best buddy's gal was mad, and the chew toy was crying! His poor little ears! (His poor little best buddy's ears! They must have busted already a long time ago or sometime around that. Hard to believe that something **that** small could have created such a high decibel yelp SO darn long!) It took a few hours, but then Noishe understood why they were all so angry (at him). He had just chucked this best buddy's child from his back! (He didn't know it was a baby! It smelt like chew toy! Seriously! A chew toy that moved and had something that made it cute towards Humans and Serpahim! Gesh! If only his buddy told him it was his baby for crying out loud!)

From then on, he had gotten used to the less attraction he had from his reign as CEO of NAHAA. (After such an incident, the little Lloyd became Socialist Dictator for Life.) Then, the buddy's gal died after all of the 'firsts' were done. It was not a happy little life anymore. His best buddy was depressed, his best buddy's child was kinda depressed, and Noishe was depressed. His best buddy felt not like doing anything special anymore. Noishe knew that he was keeping his gal secret (as well as his Seraphy Seraphimness from her) from ALL of Cruxis out of some instinct that smelled like... fear? (Odd. His buddy was one to be fearful OF, NOT feared of something else.) The baby was cooped up in a room with his Daddy, but everything seemed at a standstill. Noishe was getting bored again...

---

Noishe was hungry.

Today was not your average day. Today was a day that had the sun covered by a thick blanket of clouds that prevented it to shine on through. Some of the white snow was already plastered upon the ground because of last week's blizzard that totaled about five feet in one day. Because of this, he and his buddy were having trouble traveling through the paths towards Ozetta, where his buddy was going around getting the information about something or another. It seemed that something was always bugging his buddy or some other crap like that. This time it was leaving Lloyd all alone while he had to do some Cruxis business. As he and his buddy were walking, the grey sky seemed to fly all the way up towards the heavens. Not even the Tower of Salvation could be seen looming over the mountain ranges. Noishe wondered if it will ever fall down. Something that tall and that white could really only mean one thing... It was a giant chew toy standing straight up and not where it actually belongs... in his mouth!

His buddy fed him right away, and then gave him a little rub that said: "Bye Noishe. I have to head off alone now... Come back in a few weeks." He usually did that when there were monsters about; that was not the best things that Noishe liked to run into. After all, monsters thought he was some sort of dinner and reminded him of...

When his buddy was gone from sight, the green and white protozoan began to do a soft signature whine and then tilt his head around. His buddy still seemed depressed (or cold, but Noishe dumped the emotion 'cold' with the emotion 'depressed' and Noishe's specialty word 'emo-ness'), and Lloyd was depressed at the fact that his Daddy was long since gone off to work...** again**. Then, the little 'dog' had an idea. If he made the small child smile, that always got the adult to smile, then HE would be rubbed, and then that would make everyone happy!

But how to make a bored and lonely little boy happy? Who was he, a delivery service or something? No, Noishe had to think of something really big and really nice. Something that would make the child go "Yah!" or whatever other noises happy children make. Trying to find such an object, the little feet of the protozoan began to prance around to find something worthy of interest. It hopefully would not be really hard to go and find. After all, how could something hide in the sheer amount of snow that was keeping the whole world like a giant icicle. (The only one who was not complaining about the bitter cold was his best buddy, and that was 'cause he simply couldn't feel the cold. Noishe was jealous at that, but at he at least had fur while other Humans were stupid enough to only have fur on their heads.)

After about a few hours running around, leaving footprints in the blanket of whiteness, the little dual colored protozoan finally reached something that caught his eye. There, right in front of him was a little shoe! It was small and purple, almost lavender, and smelt like... Sniff sniff. Whoa. Smelt like being used for a while, _**that's**_ what. Lifting up one of his rather large ears, he managed to hear something in the background. Being like a little spy, he raised his head up and saw-!

---

SHE WAS GETTING MAULED!

Forget about being mauled, more like being raped by a large **dragon** or something along those lines. "Let me go, you stingy animal!" she yelled again and again, but the thick headed mass of fur wouldn't let her go! Instead it still grabbed her by the foot and was lugging her around towards the west.

Forget the snow, for she was far to busy worrying about other things. Here she was, getting ready to do some winter stealth in the snow, trying to see if she could catch a good enough prey, and then... WHAM! She was attacked! It went swift and suddenly, like a giant swipe of the arms hitting her chest! Before she knew it, she heard a growl and then WHOSH! Up she goes, high into the sky, right before hitting the fur and feeling the animal underneath her being pushed along onwards towards the far horizon. _Stupid animal!_ she began to think, stringing a long line of cuss words after it (any cuss word she could possibly think of that would fall right before the word 'stupid').

The struggle didn't help anything at all; in fact, all it did was just make the monster run FASTER! _Why me?!?_ she thought loudly, the echoes of her own voice screaming through the air like a knife. A really long and really dull knife. The monster keep her there, its mouth covering her feet and banging her head against the fur of whatever it was. Using her hands, she tried to claw her way away from the monster, but it just ignored those futile attempts. After all, she had just cut her nails earlier because of the fact that they were too long. _Why did I cut them?!?_ she moaned.

The actual ride didn't take long, but it seemed like an eternity in absolute hell. A hell that was coughed up by Volt mixed in with the strange orange/red-head, Zelos. "Let go of me you stupid-ass monster!"

Once again, no such luck. However, once those words erupted from her mouth, the monster suddenly took a right turn before running into the face of a large shadow. This shadow towered over her body! Lifting her head up, she could see that the shadow extended from her eye sight as far as she could see. In fact... she knew what this shadow originated from because of the training that she received from her new family... "The Tower of Salvation..." she muttered in awe, then in absolute surprise. "What the-! Stupid monster! Let me go! I cannot go towards the Tower of-"

The ugly monster (a monster that she could only see the green and white butt end because of the position of her head) threw her up into the room at this moment. A room that only the pervert, Zelos (despite his age), could possibly enter. (She hoped deep inside that he had a good, clean heart... somewhere.) That was mainly because of the fact that the room was the inner workings of the Tower of Salvation! _No! Bad monster! BAD!_ Why, oh why, could she not just go on ahead and be free of the monster's grasp and have her cards with her? Or some other summon cards like her Grandfather's?

The stupid monster whined! It _**actually**_ whined! It padded for a few moments down upon the floor first, right before heading off towards a magi-technology warp pad that was centered in the tall, bluish tinted room. Lights began to appear and thennnnnnnnnnnnn... WHOOSH! She was sucked up **into** the main chamber of the Tower of Salvation. The Tower where all of the legends stated that the Goddess Martel lived in. (A goddess who she did not really personally believe in. Leave her to her OWN gods, thank you very much.)

"Let me GO!" she attempted again, but to absolutely no use. The stupid-ass monster was still holding on to her, except this time she managed to get some more of its butt right into her face. (_Disgusting!_) It was beginning to jump up into other sections of the platforms that were in the area. "NO! NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO!!!! LET ME GO!!!!"

No use. No use at all...

---

He was busy trying to place on some new sets of shoes, for his old ones were no longer able to fit upon his little feet. When he asked his Daddy about as to _why_ he was going to have to get bigger shoes, his Daddy just laughed and said that it was because he was a growing little angel, and that his feet were getting bigger by the minute. These new shoes were white and had brown buckles. Unlike his Daddy (who wanted to dye them a different color), Lloyd happened to stand white and buckles. He likes the little clinking noise that they make whenever they hit each other. Often, he heads towards other angels and clinks them together... They don't seem to like it all too much though...

There was a strange commotion going on in the background. An awkward noise that seemed to be coming from the warp hole that made the angels able to travel among the worlds below. He tried to make his hearing listen to it, but his ears were STILL not good enough yet to hear who it was. (All he was capable of were hearing heart-beats of little animals his Daddy brought within a three foot range, sadly...) Sighing a little bit, he stuffed his last left shoe right into his foot and then scurried off towards the warp panel.

"Hey! Noishe!" he yelled! It was NOISHE! He was back, and if there was Noishe, there was his Daddy, right?

Well, it ended up that there was no Daddy today. However, right before he could go on ahead and begin to feel a little bit depressed about his Daddy not being there right now, Noishe seemed to be trying to lead him somewhere. "All righty, Noishe. Ok! Let's go..." Noishe very gently sunk a little bit of his protozoan teeth into his clothing. Just enough to tug the small, brown haired child to the area that was the prison cells. Lloyd went there often to play around with himself, or to train with his Daddy, because no one else decided to go down inside without someone as a prisoner. Not only that, it was not the prettiest area around.

JUST right after leaving the warp area, however, there was a LOUD gasp behind him.

"Oh my Volt! The Goddess Martel is a... **GUY**?!?"

"WAAAAAAAAAA!" screamed Lloyd as he suddenly turned around, spinning around his foot. His little wings almost came out from so much excitement! There, ..HIM was a _**girl!**_ NOT an angel girl, but a GIRL GIRL! (He read about girls in books that were brought by the two worlds by his Daddy. His Daddy said girls are something he MIGHT learn about when he is to get older... eventually.) She was wearing a little white fur-lined outfit (and it had that white, slushy stuff that his Daddy called 'snow') with white buttons and fur boots. Her hair was black, tied down in the back with a white ribbon. Underneath her was something tight that wrapped around her. Something that resembled his Daddy's purple outfit, except with no buckles and wasn't creamy colored. "My name's Lloyd! Martel's dead!"

"WHAT?!? Lloyd?! Who the hell is **LLOYD**?!? There is _absolutely __nothing_ about some kid called 'Lloyd' in the ancient texts!"

Noishe walked right behind him, nipping at his back. "Hey Noishe! She doesn't-"

The strange girl began to point straight at Noishe, like the protozoan was some type of demon (like Uncle Yuan when he was PISSED about something dealing with some chick called 'Cocollette'. Lloyd was a 'ninja' and went **spying** every once in a while...). "YOU KNOW THAT STUPID-ASS MONSTER?!?"

Lloyd covered his ears. "Don't say things like that! Bad words! Bad words! You'll get in trouble!" The number one thing that he did want to happen to him was to go on off and get in some deep trouble with his Daddy. After all, the number one thing that his Daddy was always, ALWAYS, _**ALWAYS**_ telling him was to never, ever, EVER go on and say those bad words. And here was a girl saying them! What kind of Daddy let her do that?!?

"Gesh! I am sorry! Who are you and what is that monster?!?" It seemed to be that she was still trying to go on and try to worm her way away from Noishe. Noishe was being SO silly... Couldn't she tell that Noishe was just a good Noishe?

"His name is Noishe. He's my protozoan! Well, my Daddy's protozoan, but mine too!"

"'**Daddy's**' protozoan?!? As in the first life form that can turn into a dragon! Those things were extinct over four thousand years ago! And what do you mean by Daddy?"

She seemed to be in a large fraught, but the little brown-head tended to ignore that and rubbed Noishe by the head, calling him a good boy. Now he had a playmate until his Daddy came home! He was still curious as to where the young girl came from. She didn't seem angel, like he thought earlier. But then again... she was wearing white!

"Who is your Daddy?" he asked after patting Noishe on his head and turning around to face the girl. "What's your name? My full name is Lloyd! Lloyd Aurion!"

The girl seemed to be slightly afraid about something, but she was apparently eager to talk to him. That was nice! "My name is Sheena Fujibayashi, and I come from the village of Mizuho. Where am I and what am I doing here?"

_Sheena Fujibayashi. That name sounds SO cool! She must be a REAL ninja! Wow!_ With a little jump, Lloyd smiled brightly at the girl. "You're in the underground apartments of Welgaia, the City of the Angels! We are currently residing on Derris Kharlan!"

She stood aback from that information. "De...Derris... _**Kharlan**_?!? The place where the Kharlan War was held? City of _**Angels**_?!?" She quickly took a look around, shuffling her eyes left and right. However, none of the really LARGE windows were there to be seen. All of them were up on the upper floors beyond the warp, which was a good thing because Lloyd did not want the other angels to catch them downstairs. They would tell Daddy if they found out.

"Yup! There are some windows upstairs, but we can't go there. If we do, we'll be in BIG trouble!"

Sheena seemed to be taking big glances right and left, and then took one quick glance at the prison cells behind her. She froze a little bit there, but automatically returned her gaze back right at the young child. "Lloyd _Aurion_. As in son of **Kratos** Aurion, one of the people who helped out during the Kharlan War?"

Lloyd gave her the really cute little look that was normal of him. "Yup! Where did you get that information? Yggdrasil said that it was supposed to be TOP SECRET!" He really was curious... a lot. After all, why would he NOT be? There was a new friend to go on and talk to!

"Who's Yggdrasil? No matter, anyways, like I said," she began cautiously, as if afraid of Lloyd suddenly attacking her, "I come from Mizuho. We make it our business to know about things that the normal inhibitor of Slyverate could possibly never comprehend."

"Let's be friends!" Lloyd screamed, throwing his hands up high into the air in a form of celebration.

Sheena stared at him. That was alright. She'll get over it.

---

"Something like this?"

"No."

"How about THIS?"

"Not yet."

"AG! This is SO hard! This?!?"

"Nope."

"Sheena! _Please_ tell me how to do it!"

"Arg! This is the last time!"

It was already a half a year since the meeting of the two kids. Kratos was still out, but was expected to return within the next week. That was great news for the young little angel for he was missing his Daddy, DESPERATELY. Since then, he and Sheena were best of friends. Every other day, she would come in the Tower via Noishe-Express, and then sneak down by herself towards the under compartments that was the now 'Lil' Angels + Ninjas Room'. All over the room, there was pictures and other things plastered there, as well as little plants that Sheena brought in from the under worlds. (Sheena was all surprised that Lloyd knew next to nothing about basic plants and animals. So, she brought in some new ones everyday. They used the prison cells for that purpose. The left cell was for a little garden that housed little butterflies and birds with turtles and other small animals. The right cell was for little animals called bunny rabbits and kitty cats.) Some toys were scattered about, as were the little pieces of charred remains of rocks that were used for target practice. Sheena liked to use her cards, Lloyd was more of a fan for Magic Mana of DOOM!

Today, however, was a different story. Today, Sheena was teaching him how to do a new art that she called 'Summoning'. It _seemed_ easy enough. That was, until Lloyd tried to do it by himself on his own. .time he would make a mistake, she would point and laugh, but then help him back upon his feet. It was becoming to be quite a pain to learn, but Lloyd was NOT going to go on ahead and give up just like that! He was going to be a Summoner and summon stuff JUST LIKE HIS DADDY! (Once, his Daddy showed him Origin. It was sooooooo pretty that Lloyd wanted to do some of it on his own. However, his Daddy just laughed slightly and rubbed his hair, claiming maybe he was still a little bit too young to do such a thing.)

Here they were, laughing back and forth when Noishe came in and began to whine. A lot. Not to mention very urgently.

"What is it, Noishe? What's bothering you?" Lloyd automatically began. Sheena stopped laughing and began to scale up towards the top of the roof. There was a little magitechnology screen there that Lloyd placed to see if anyone was coming into the area.

"Hey Lloyd. There is some adult guy walking around. He has REALLY spiky re-"

"DADDY!" he screamed. "He's back!" It was then that Lloyd went silent. "Uh oh... We need to get you out of here, Sheena. If Daddy comes in and tries to find me, you'll be in BIG crap!" (Crap was a word he learned from Sheena. She said it wasn't a bad word, just a _substitute_. BUT, it was ONLY to be used in those dire occasions, like right about now!)

She gave a large eye look, but they both knew by then that they both had to NEVER be seen with each other... otherwise they would BOTH be in big trouble. "Is there another way out?" Sheena began. "We can't exactly use the top warp if your Daddy can _really_ hear as well as you say he can."

"He can, and I think we can go down!"

"Think? What do you mean by think?"

Lloyd took Sheena by the hand, and then led her down towards the edge of the floor panel. There was no guard-rails, but this was because of the fact that angels had absolutely nothing to fear if they fell down from such a height. "All the way down! When my Daddy showed me around Welgaia, he said that at the bottom of the shaft is the top of the emergency exit area. Once there, you can leave by using the warp thingy!"

"How am I supposed to get down?"

Lloyd answered that for her by simply grabbing her hand into his, and then flinging himself off from the edge.

"WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-!!!!" Sheena screamed at the top of her lungs! Down, down, down they were going, heading towards the bottom that was the beginning of the exit. The thrill was GREAT! Everything was rushing by them at such a speed, that it was making the brown head's tummy flip right side up! The roar of air was screaming right by his ears, as was the floor down below rushing up to meet his eye level.

With a sudden stop, Lloyd managed to stay a few feet right above the floor, and them dropped Sheena down the last two feet. Man, was he EXHAUSTED! Holding Sheena up was something that seemed to take a whole _deals_ worth of energy. His little wings were limping a bit before his body plopped down upon the floor. "Whew, that was tough." Sheena was going to begin saying something, but then Lloyd pointed her in the direction of the exit warp. "There you go, Sheena. I have to get back to my Daddy before he tries to find me! Go on, I am pretty sure you know the way out, right?"

Sheena turned around to face the warp, but then took a good look right at Lloyd. "Lloyd, you seem like a really nice kid. So then, why are you here? What is THIS Cruxis? You are always bottled up into a little cork, not being able to see the world. Don't you ever wish to go outside?"

Lloyd twisted his head, and then sighed. "Sheena, I HAVE gone outside, once. No, twice. The first time I was attacked by some dragons and this dude in a cloak, and the second time some crazy circus came by and thought I was one big and giant bird! Besides, my Daddy says that once I get a little bit older..."

Sheena frowned. "If maybe one day you can sneak out with me, I can show you Mizuho! And Lord Yuan!"

Lloyd turned around sharply. "Uncle Yuan? What do you mean by that?!?"

It was at this time that there was a loud, REALLY _**LOUD**_, whine coming from Noishe, which signified that someone was about to head off towards the warp that led towards the 'Lil Angels + Ninjas Room'. Having absolutely no time to think, Lloyd made Sheena leave, and then rushed up towards the separate warp that would send him up towards the center of the City of Angels.

Lloyd ran, and ran, and then ran some more! He had to hurry! What if his Daddy was already looking for him at the general area? Oh Martel, that would NOT be good! He ran into a couple of angels, and they all gave him one of the most vicious looks they could muster on their faces. Stumbling along, he brought his body forwards, and then spotted his Daddy! He was standing right there in front of him!

Lunging his small little body at his Daddy's bigger one, he was greeted by a **big** hug. "DADDY!!!" he screamed, must to the flinching of the other angels. But not his Daddy! His Daddy could take it, 'cause his Daddy was just THAT cool! "You are back!!! YAH!"

Once they were in their room, his Daddy laughed and then rubbed his head (he likes rubs) and then showed Lloyd his new present! It was a little shuriken (one that Sheena showed him but NEVER allowed him to keep)! "Here you go Lloyd. It's sharp, so be careful. Someone from Mizuho gave it to me about a couple of weeks ago, and you always said you wanted to be a ninja..." His Daddy always had a strange, funny expression when he said ninja. It made him laugh some more.

Lloyd took it, happily. He was about to begin a conversation with his Daddy when he noticed a piece of paper stuffed in his boot.

"Lloyd. Summoning practice next month. I'll be meeting you in our room. -Sheena

"P.S. Your Daddy looks cool!"

----------  
_  
__Fixed another small plot hole. Minor edits._

_Retouched - [2.25.2009]_


	15. Chapter 15

_Angels of Cruxis  
By: Fehize _

_----------_

The sun was already beginning to set down to begin the start of the new day. Yawning, making the blackened shadows reach out, it made a dusky sky high above seem like a painting from long ago. Changing from blue to red to purple, and then finally indigo with white specks that were hanging from the supposed heavens, the whole world seemed to twist and turn with those colors. High above the normal reach of human were the small birds that were beginning to flap along by and reach towards the safety of their nests nestled in the leaves of the nearby palms. The temperature was already falling down towards the well-known cool that deserts were very famous of. Most of the animals were beginning to wake up as well. Every animal, not necessarily all the monsters. At night, when the stars shinned brightly like luminescent tears, monsters of lore stalked the sandy hills.

Colette was the first one to run on off towards the far area of the little desert town of Triet. That was to be expected because she was the one that was most eager to head on off towards the fortune teller that lived within the recesses of the tent. With her small feet pattering and pattering into the sand below, she rushed on ahead of the others. They were, of course, following in a single line fashion after her to make sure that she was ok. Including the really nice teenager Lloyd and his master, Kratos. She liked Lloyd. Sure, he was not one of the most brightest flames about in the world (he accidentally said that Mithos was a child!), but he sure was funny!

Kratos was right behind Lloyd, who was next to Genis, who was following Raine, who was watching Collete, who was already at the tent. When they arrived into a circular fashion to set themselves right next to one another, they all began to talk to discuss options. Well, in truth, only she and Genis did. Lloyd was yawning with the red head giving him a certain look with a well placed arched eye (Raine was watching them both). Turning around towards Genis, she placed on one of her famous smiles - one that she usually wore about in Iselia. Dusting off some more sand from her skirts, she hurriedly began to talk towards the white haired elf.

"So, Genis!" she ended that last word with a little uprising in her voice. It was like a second nature to her, for her voice usually gained that high of a pitch at the end of everything. "What do YOU want to ask the fortune teller?"

Genis gave a look at her, one of his funny ones. "Colette, I really don't know yet. I guess I'll find out on my own once I get inside the tent. This seems really exciting! I have never been towards a fortune teller person before!" Colette saw that he had a large smile upon his face.

It was right then when Raine decided to walk on over and talk towards both of them. Of course, it was mainly Genis because of the fact that he was her younger brother. With a small frown, she sighed as she shook her head in a swinging motion. "Genis, fortune tellers do not really exist all that well in the world. I thought you should know that by now."

But it didn't really matter what Raine though right then and there. Colette didn't want to sound spoiled, or anything, but she wanted to go and see what it was that made the whole desert oasis of Triet all talk about her in a tone of awe and wonder. Since she was going on the last journey of her life... _No! Think happy and cheerful! You are doing this for ALL of Sylvarant! Think of how many poor people are suffering because of the Desians? They need my help, and I will save them! I know I can! I have to do such a thing! It was what I was born to do! Besides, making them all worry is such a bad thing anyways..._ "Umm... Raine, how about we go on now, please. I really do want to see her, that's all..."

It was Kratos that decided the ending of this whole thing, quite surprisingly. He normally didn't speak much to her or anyone else (aside from Lloyd), so this one was quite a shock. "How about we let the Chosen choose what she wants to go on ahead and do?"

Genis and she both smiled like they had just eaten cakes from Coco Island (a made up land that she thought of. It has sweets and all other good things that she always wanted to have at least once a month. The beach sand was made of chocolate, the palm trees were made of sugar, and the other things were made of the sweetest frosting! When she told Lloyd and Genis about her own, 'personal' island, they kinda laughed. Lloyd stated that wouldn't any forms of water go on ahead and make the island melt away? Genis punched him right afterwards of course.). Happily, she smiled about and hurried towards the little section of the tent that is able to make the outsider open the slip of fabric open and close. However, before going on and entering, she turned around and faced the rest of them.

"Let's go in order and no two people inside at the same time!" she exclaimed happily. Everyone took a turn around and faced her, each with their own arching eye. Stuttering and blushing, she turned her face away. "Umm... So that way we don't hear each other's wish or question..."

Lloyd kicked back his arms and stared up at the roofing of the evening sky, stretching a bit. "Fine with me," he muttered underneath a yawn, which was promptly poked by the hand of the red headed mercenary. Laughing a little bit, he lowered them and then allowed himself to walk right next to Genis and her. Collete had to smile at that because she liked having Lloyd around her. He made her seem all safe and warm in the inside...

Genis began to hop up and down. "Alright! Let's go check the order out! In first is Collete, then it's me!"

Raine folded her arms, and then turned around to do something that Colette couldn't see. However, she COULD hear her laughing about something. _Uh oh, she's scheming something..._ The blonde teenager had to do a mental sweat in her head as she overheard something about 'finding the truth about the Aurions'. What Aurions? Wasn't it _**a**_ Aurion, not Aurion_**s**_? One? Lloyd? (_Come to think about it, what IS Kratos's last name?_) It only took a few seconds, but Raine turned her head around to face them all. "I believe that I should go first, then Genis, then... _Kratos_," there was a stress with a hint of vile in the word 'Kratos', but it was unnoticed to everyone but her as she had better hearing 'cause she was turning into an angel, "-Lloyd, and then you, Colette. We'll keep you at suspense, and to make sure that the tent is safe for you to enter."

---  
_Raine_  
---

There was the dust of my little feet swirling around the bottom ends of my tent as I stood away from the party to face the flap that swished like a sack of burlap. Tilting my head sideways, I had to stop and wonder what type of material it was made out of, for such information could be proven useful later on. After all, in a desert, such cloth is used to keep the hot air out, but keep warmth in for the night days (as well as winter). Genis could get hurt or cold because of the hot sun's rays penetrating his skin. The stuff that the others brought might not last for long, and I was sure that there might be more than one hot place in Sylvarant. I read many books you know.

I turned around really quick to look at my brother, Genis, and made sure he was not talking to that Lloyd boy again. He smelt like rotten eggs made with a mixture of soiled apples and a touch of liver _with_ onions. Ok, so he MIGHT not really smell like that, but I **knew** he was dangerous. Just like his... 'cousin', Kratos. They were in it for something, not for going around saving the world. Not to mention that Lloyd was just a tad bit not-all-there-in-the-head. Mithos, a child? PLEASE. He was a mighty hero during the War? Heros were not children! Besides, Chosens were Chosens and they fell in a different category of their own.

I entered the tent after looking about and then the first thing that hit me was the smell of the incense from Palmacosta. (Such things were very expensive to ship over. I know that. I tired.) It was a small tent, something about the size that a mouse might be sad to live in, but I knew better than to scoff at homes. My own personal home was far away, and this one seemed cozy... even if the entire decor smelt like cinnamon. (Then again, cinnamon is a nice smell...)

The fortune teller met me with her dark brown eyes. In my mind, I had to give a look at the crystal ball. It was made from old magitechnology! Clear and transparent, it was certainly NOT made from these times. It was amazing, in fact, that such a relic lie within the boundaries of this tent. Where the hell did she find that where I have been looking around for something over TEN years?!? Not _fair_!

But I placed my emotions aside. I had better things to ask. (And maybe somewhere in my head was a small scheme to steal that precious little object. Please, her have that object through family? That was just as insane as someone telling her she was actually an elf!) I walked the two steps that led towards the little table where she stood by. Her face seemed rather young looking. It surprised, no doubt. I always suspected these fake 'tellers' to be old women who wanted a little extra cash in their pockets...

"Raine Sage, I presume. Welcome. I have been expecting you."

Well, if that didn't get my attention, then neither would Genis walking around naked in the middle of a large city in mid-winter. I gapped my mouth open VERY slightly, surprised that she knew my name!

"Here for your fortune about someone, I presume. Please, sit down and speak. There are four others who wish to enter, one being most unwilling. If you all wish to head towards the inn before midnight, please do not think so hard about my incense."

A bit snobby of her powers could have been the proper thought. Unfortunately, my mind was still in the reeling state between a 'Holy Goddess Martel' and a silent one. It took a while, but I had just enough moisture in my mouth to speak out a few words. I still couldn't believe my ears. She knew my name; she knew how many people were out... But then logic came in and took over. Of _course_ she was going to know how many people there were. We **were** newcomers, and news about us have already spread through the city about us being the Chosen's Group.

"Here is my only question. Tell me WHO Kratos and Lloyd is!"

"That is two questions. One for Kratos Aurion and one for Lloyd Aurion."

I looked at her with fury. "What's so bad about the conjunction 'and'?" That was TOO one question!

She only turned her head into the crystal ball. "I will tell you of Kratos of what I can see. It may not be all the answers, but I shall try. You should have come in the morning of a full moon, but alas..."

I scoffed mentally as she began to rub her ball and stare into it. Her whole notion of the incense thing must have been logical as well, for my nose must have crinkled up. It normally did for such irritating smells. Before I could take a closer look at the quality of the magitechnology crystal ball of hooey, she began to speak!

"I see what you ask for. He has red hair..." Well, DUH, she knew that. She traveled with him for over a week or so. How could she NOT notice that color? "-just like his famed sword, the Flamberiage." _A FLAMBERIAGE?!?_ I screamed mentally. Surely, such a _**legendary**_ weapon from the _Kharlan War_ would not be in the hands of **him**! Unless he STOLE it! And the words 'his famed'? What about it? HIS? No way! "I also see... pure white clothing, like snow from the high heavens, with belts the color of gold and ancient parchment... Glitter! I see glitter from behind him, but the picture is opaque. I can't see much else on him. Except his pose. He is standing with his sword out, and... angry." HAH! I knew IT! He is TOO a thief! Still, what kind of crazy-ass thief wore white?!? Didn't thieves wear something else... like black? "Beware of him, for he is the God of War! He works for Cruxis." Cruxis?!? Wasn't that the CHURCH?!? How could a thief work for a church?!? My inner thoughts were crazy, but then I thought rationally. God of War? Cruxis worker? Please. Cruxis wouldn't dare let someone like him walk around in their property.

"That is all I can see without having to charge double. You may leave know with more information that you came in with. Wither you choose to head it or not is your decision."

I tuned around, my curiosity brimming; my logic lacking at that moment. "Charge me double!"

As I was about to leave the tent, I heard her whisper softly. "Kratos Aurion is Lloyd Aurion's father."

If any other sentence left me silent, this one made me laugh. Kratos was like twenty-eight, and Lloyd sixteen or so. He would have had to conceive at seven or twelve! I chuckled slightly as I opened the tent flap as I exited towards the diminishing sunlight. There was my brother, waiting for his turn, Colette talking to Lloyd, and Kratos...

He had this face that seemed... different. I couldn't quite place the correct word on it. All he did was give me a look, and it sent shivers down my spines... _Beware of him, for he is the God of War..._ Those words echoed into my ears as I turned away from him. I shook such a thought away, as I glanced towards the colors that the sky left in a setting sun.

After all, there are no such things as real fortune tellers.

---  
_Genis_  
---

I see sis... Oh dear, she smells like incense. Let's just hope she doesn't cook today, even though I love her to bits... PLEASE, let her have enough of herbs and spices in that quick moment! Please! Or make Kratos cook! (Or myself. I am a good cook, after all...)

"How was it?" I asked. However, all she did was sit down and look back at the tent. That could only mean one thing. She had seen something shinny inside it. Sometimes I wonder what my real mom did to make Raine be like that. She was crazy at times, but always my sister through thick and through thin. Oh well, it is now my turn!

I held my breath deep within my lungs. What if the fortune teller does some scary dance to call forth her summons? (OF course, I doubted that because I heard nothing when Raine was inside...) How about getting a a piece of my hair to go and see my own future. I just hope nothing bad happens during my time. However, as I stepped closer towards the cute little tent, I smiled. I still had no question, but I knew that I would go on ahead and think about something...

Lifting the little flap, I peered into the structure. It was really nice and quiet, lots of little knick-knacks were hanging on the walls. Everything seemed to be in a precise and exquisite order that I couldn't yet figure out. Little dolls from areas not from here were on small shelves. In the middle, there she was standing with a clear ball on a golden stand. What caught my eye most of all was the rich colored tablecloth that she used to adorn the center of the room. The colors were like all the colors of spring, made into one little weaving.

"Genis Sage, younger brother of Raine Sage. Welcome. I have been expecting you too."

"WOW! You knew my name!" I exclaimed. It was _sooooo_ cool, being RIGHT in front of a real fortune teller! I didn't even have to tell her my name, and she also knew who my sister was!

"Do you have a question you wish to ask, or do you wish to sit there for a few moments to ponder. I know you have no question yet..."

Man, was she awesome! I could ask her anything I wanted. Will this whole trip come out good? Will Colette regenerate the world? Will I die? If I do, when? How about Raine? What if she dies? What if none of us die, and I waste a good question? As the questions after questions filled my mind, all I could do was turn my head sideways and think. Finally, I got a GREAT question!

"My question is this: will Lloyd and Colette be my friends forever?"

I saw her rub her ball, and look right in it. I was almost beginning to sweat from my nervousness. My stomach was having butterflies, and they wanted to go on ahead and get out. In fact, I kinda was starting to have shakes in my legs. Crap. I hope they stop.

She glanced up with a small frown. I hope she read something... But no, somehow, it seemed to be a face of utter sadness, like she saw someone she knew die... Uh oh... "Lloyd... Lloyd will..." No! Not Lloyd! He is my best guy bud! We actually get along! We share secrets! He's an ANGEL! How could an angel die?!? "... stay your friend until you die." Sweet. He's not dying. But my insides were still shacking, and that was slowing down. Whew, can those tellers be suspenseful! I was about to freak out! Wait. Until _**I**_ die. I hope I die old... "And Coltete..."

She held her crystal, and then made a sad face. "Collete is the Chosen of Regeneration, and she will die for that..."

If that didn't hit me like a ton of bricks, I didn't know what else could...

---  
_Kratos_  
---

I stared at Raine, my hand always on my sword and my face in mono. She acted like I had no clue what was going on, but then again, that was all she knew. I had overheard what the fortune teller had spoken, and it made me somewhat glad that she was more of a logical person that a 'superstitious' one. Still, such questions made me rise up my warning about her. I knew from the start that she was going to create some problems before we reached the Tower of Salvation: mainly for the fact that she though Lloyd and I were nothing short of petty thieves. I had to make myself look back to normal, but when she laughed I couldn't help but place up a minute sign of relief when she came out... still doing some laughing.

I had now come into a problem. I could go on ahead and order everyone into the inn, but that would make her suspicious as to why I canceled something I myself promoted. Or, I could then go and continue. I was positive that the fortune teller knew nothing beyond what she said of me, and that the Chosen One would not ask any questions that deal with Lloyd and me in the secret sense. Genis had asked something of Lloyd, but it was something that was rather trivial when it came towards the real truth. The part with the Chosen One was something she knew herself, so that was no secret either. Yet, the thought of hearing the words 'die' have become a plaguing to me over the last nights.

"I'll go on next," I began, making sure that everyone heard me, but also making sure that no one else did as well. If I was going to go up with this, I must make sure to pull the act as well. "Lloyd, make sure that the Chosen One is protected until I come back."

Raine scoffed slightly. She thought I couldn't hear of see it, no doubt. "It is not like we are going to be attacked while you are gone for a few minutes inside a tent only a few feet away..." It was a small mutter to her, a speech voice to me as well as Lloyd. She did not seem to be pleased with us around. Lloyd actually didn't mind her much, even when she mutters that he may be a bit 'stupid'. Oh well.

I entered the tent, the smell wafting around me like it was earlier, yet slightly stronger. I have already been used to my enhanced abilities and dismissed the effect of the smell like I would do a cut. The Chosen One does not do this yet, but she will soon as soon as she loses her touch sense. The main difference between a host body to be a Seraphim and a real Seraphim was that Seraphim kept their mind. There were minor others, but I managed to tally them under something else.

I took one look up at the woman. She had brown hair, like the rest of the other hanging around this area. Tanned skin was a must, else one fell down with the sunburns common of the area. I did not wish to spend so much time here, so I made my question simple and to the point, preventing her from starting with my name.

"I want to know if the Journey of Regeneration is going to be a success in a yes or no answer." There. That should make certain that she does not get any more information other than that yes or that no.

"Yes. It will be a success," she said as she finished looking towards her crystal lens. I knew what it was. It's was some sort of rounded telescope, enchanced with magnitechnology to see things from afar without being there; something almost like a Magic Lens. The woman must have found it amid the shifting sands, not at all a surprise because of the amount of ruins that rested beneath it. I ignored it from my mind, for it was nothing of much importance.

I turned around, and left the tent.

---  
_Colette_  
---

It was so nice of Lloyd giving up his spot to let me go on in and get my fortune done. Since the sun was setting, Raine thought we should go on ahead and leave towards the inn, but Lloyd said that there was enough time for one more person, and that he'll let me go! I smiled in the inside, happy that I was able to have such a nice friend as Lloyd.

I stepped into the tent as Raine held the top of the tarp to let me enter. The smell was nice, like Grandma after she cooked cookies for all of us. The scenery was nice as well, and I happily stood right before her.

"Hello, Collete Brunnel, the Chosen of Regeneration. Welcome. I have been expecting you to arrive after Kratos."

I whistled in awe. Wow. She was so amazing. It is people like these that I have to go on ahead and save.

"I want to know...please..." I began, unsure," if Lloyd and I will ever be..."

She cut me off quite suddenly. "I sorry, Chosen One. You will never be more to him than a friend."

Those words hung in the small room. Slowly, I bit my lip, unsure of what to do next. Yes, I knew Lloyd for only a little while in comparison to Genis, but... but... I can't help but think that there was some sort of connection... I felt so safe near him; so _protected._ I thought... maybe I could have had a normal circumstance happen to me before I....

I wanted to cry, but I let myself give thanks as I left the tent as we all began to walk towards the inn that rested in the background. When I got towards the inside of the inn, I barely noticed that Kratos pulled Lloyd away to give him a talk. All I could see at the moment was the door that led towards my rented room under a sheet of tears that was coming out from my eyes.

I wished more than ever to sleep, but that sleep did not come. I was alone for the night, and will be until I regenerate the world...

----------

_[Old Notes]  
Ummm... thanks for reading! And in case you can't tell, lots of foreshadowing and plot can be read between the lines here!_

_[New Notes]  
Added a small paragraph in Colette's point of view to see why she asked her question. A re-reading made it seem almost random. ((Doesn't help she's a character I hardly write in.)) Removed a chunk of a paragraph that discussed something that is no longer important._

_Retouched - [4.25.2009]_


	16. Chapter 16

_Angels of Cruxis  
By: Fehize_

_----------_

There was no sun. Some people might say that at one point, there was never a sun to warm them up from the frigid of ice. However, tonight, today, there was indeed a sun, but it was gone. Only those who lived high above the other humans - the angels - in the purple world knew the truth of where the sun went when night fell. The sky high above was turning into a black and cold mesh. There was a slight wind that whipped around the hair of those who were still trying to enter their buildings to fall asleep. Hardly anyone went outside during the nightfall. In a land with shifting sands and little water, the cold set in fast. It was common knowledge that the tan snow that rested on the ground was not capable to hold the warmth that fresh dirt could. High above that different colored snow lays the stars that hang above in the high heavens, as well as the moon that rests close enough for people to believe they can touch it, when in truth they really can't.

The winds were calming down. The reflection of the golden orb that hangs above the surface of the horizon was the only way that such a fierce desert wind can be created. Once the sun vanishes, there is nothing to move the air. Everything becomes still and quiet. The only sounds that can be heard now are the sounds of the desert animals, moving about through the sands. If one listened closely and warily, one could understand the calls that they make in the night. If one was foolish enough, one could also see the shadows of such night demons walk about in the shadow of the moon. Night was a time when the humans sleep, and creatures of other origin walk...

The moon was shinning faintly as it was half-way dead. All that could be seen is a meager shadow; that black half of a circle that hung by nothing. The little grey marks where foreign object have hit it plainly seeable with any good eye. The light emitting from such a thing gently touched the hairs of two family members. One was shorter than the other, sitting down in the middle of the desert right across from the other, whose hair seemed almost ash-colored from the lack of light. The green and white protozoan animal was standing right behind them, being rubbed by the adult in a caring manner. Silence filled the entire area for a few, crucial moments in time. The sound of the sand was only heard if the two bodies moved or if something else moved from the nearby distance.

"Lloyd...?" questioned the adult red haired man as he turned his head to look at the young teenager. His sword was on the ground by his feet, glowing soft silver in the moonlight. His child's own sword were both down upon the ground as well, the little iron ones that were made in the town of the sands.

"Yes, dad?" The brown haired one took a turn to face his father next. He was shuffling his feet left and right as the sand playfully circled around them. The red headed Seraphim had to just give his son a smidjet of a smile. Whenever his child was bored, he liked to mess with feet. Of course, what he was going to say towards the teenager was very important, but the silence was stretching with the minutes. He let the minutes stroll by, letting the sky finally reach the height of the moment when the stars begin to really shine.

"The stars sure are bright tonight, dad," Lloyd began after the mercenary said nothing for a while. The brown headed teenager flung his arms behind his back and threw himself onto the desert floor. After a few seconds, the adult rested down next towards the teen, and looked up at the sky as well.

"Lloyd... do you ever think of... your mother?"

The question came out slowly, as if he was afraid of asking such a thing. It was the truth. He was afraid that his son missed her so much, afraid that if he found out the reality, he could be depressed or angry; afraid that his son might reject him away. Not that he was intent on saying everything tonight, but something had to be said for his son to cope and understand.

"Hmmm..." was the silent thought of mind as the teen closed his eyes. "Yes, I do. Most of the time, though, was when I was younger and was alone for those months when you were away."

"Do you remember her?" The questions pained his chest, but only in the inside. Outside, his expressions were still mostly the same.

It was silent for a few seconds, but a slight little whisper of a yes emitted from the mouth of his son. "I can remember only furry images though. An apple smell... a small cooing noise... the way I always seemed to be held by something. But..." He strayed off at that moment, but the adult knew that his son could recall nothing else. It was not surprising, really, because he was just a small toddler at that time. Just old enough to remember small and brief things. "But why do you ask dad?"

He didn't know exactly how to word everything correctly. Should he say some major things, or state something else? Begin with a rhetorical question? That last option seemed to be the best choice... "Lloyd, what is your stand on humans?" It was an interesting question to begin with because that was what Anna was. Human... something that Cruxis brought up as something inferior and not worthy of talking to aside from short commands. Was this what Lloyd thought of humans? Would he think that same for his mother? Would he think of her as something so low that he would damn himself from being the spawn of...? Or... would he see something else. Like Kratos did. Something that saw through the heart of a Seraphim and loved him despite his thoughts on how Cruxis worked...

"I really don't know. I mean, Collete seems nice; so does everyone we met so far. Then again, we always call them inferior. Yet, isn't that what started the whole Khlaran War? Even then, some humans... I don't know." He turned his head to face his father, who was looking back, trying to see Lloyd's expression on his face. "Is it bad to think about things like this. I mean, humans die and angels don't... Then again... I..."

The question was obviously scrambling up the mind of the teenager, making the teen think of something that was original. All his life he was told by others (Kratos himself could never bring about - or enforce - the saying/theory that humans were worthless creatures) that humans were nothing but Exsphere fodder. If Lloyd knew what he was wearing...

"She was a human, wasn't she dad?"

The question came out as a surprise. Mentally, he chastised himself for letting it on to much and forgetting that his child was trained to think by him. Lloyd had turned his body to lay sideways, staring straight at his father in a look that wanted answers. A look that Anna made when she wanted to know if Kratos was really working with the Desians many years ago.

"Yes, Lloyd. Your mother, Anna, was... a human. She gave you your looks and appearance in everything except the way you have your eyes and stance." He tried to stay calm and reasonable. He was not angry, but thinking such thoughts brought the other kind...

"My mom was a human? What happened?"

Kratos did not exactly want to answer that question exactly. _Cruxis killed Anna, which is what I work for. If I tell Lloyd what happened, will he think the same? He is not exactly your average run of the mill angel. Whereas the others - Yuan, myself, and Mithos - have been thinking that Cruxis is good, would he think differently? I have been doing Cruxis's work for over 4000 years, yet, is that too long? Have I changed my thoughts? No, Cruxis is still trying to help the world... but..._

_They deprived Lloyd of a mom and myself of a wife. My sweet Anna..._

"She... died Lloyd. Murdered by someone while I was busy."

"She was... murdered?!?" Lloyd exclaimed, jumping up in surprise. Wither or not he was angry because of it, the adult did not know right then.

"Yes, but the murderer died almost right afterward." Those memories tried to come back up, but he repressed it under into his mind. He grabbed his son by his shoulders and looked straight at him. "Listen, Lloyd," he began softly. "Your mother was one of the best things that have happened to me in my lifetime. Bigger than Martel, bigger than Cruxis, bigger than even getting Noishe." (Noishe whined at this part, softly, but was quiet after a few seconds.) Kratos looked down slightly, then regained his composure. "I want you to know something very important, Lloyd. Not all humans are stupid and inferior. Anna showed me..." He didn't want to really continue. Perhaps later, when Lloyd had more experience.

Lloyd was silent for a long time after, as was Kratos and Noishe. Only the stars talked from then on...

---

The morning sun had already passed as the group of teenagers and adults traveled away from the town of Triet towards the place that led towards the pass. There was sand blowing around again as the heat from the sun stirred up the winds that were common to the area. There was not as much sand though, but that was because they were now in the area where the large sand dunes prevented the wind from stirring things within the valleys.

This also meant that monsters would be hanging around the area as well, sheltering themselves. They stood around the valleys of sand, some tall and some small, each dying to sink their fangs and claws into anything that travels their ways, including their own kind. The majority of them were snakes, which were necessarily not really monsters, but they still attacked other things.

The red headed adult turned around to face the others. Two of them - the half-elfs - were already beginning to perspire. The Chosen One was not, yet, but that was because of her condition. Lloyd... Well, Lloyd was back to almost his normal self. He seemed to be mentally fine after the talk two nights ago. The only reason he wasn't all peppy and cheerful was because Raine was teaching them as they traveled along the top ridges of the towering sand dunes.

"OK, Genis. Now it is your turn to answer. What is the name of the healing technique that can fill the entire line of sight?"

"Revitalize."

"Excellent! Looks like all of this traveling has yet to take your brilliant mind away! I can't wait to see how smart you'll grow up to be!" The adult half-elf's hair was swishing left and right, very excitedly; her red-orange outfit was flapping up and down as she began to use her staff as a support to do some amazing high end kicks. Genis was laughing at Raine, who smiled back. The female often confused the red head. _I wonder if she is bi-polar...?_ he thought as he could tell that the sun was beating down upon him.

"Next, Colette. What is the Tower of Mana?"

The blonde girl came out with the answer very quickly. "The Tower of Mana is a large structure from the Kharlan War time era that houses many books from ages long ago. The Priests of Luin, the City of Hope, are in charge of taking care of the place." It seemed she knew her stuff. Kratos kept a mental note to himself that he should act like he never knew that the Tower of Mana is a 'seal' destination. Best act unknown in such major qualities...

Raine began to look at Lloyd... _Lloyd, Lloyd, Lloyd._ She rolled her eyes slightly as she turned to face the red clad teen. "Lloyd, I guess I will never get through to you..." Little snickers came out of Genis, funny and friendly. "Alright, name... some of the heroes to the Khalran War."

"That's easy! First is D-" Lloyd stopped, and then carefully placed his head upon his head in a thinking fashion. _Good save Lloyd..._ the mercenary thought. It always happened. His son was going to need to learn to hold his tongue. "Duh! Yah, um... Mithos... and..." Pausing on purpose. Since Raine was convinced that Lloyd was near to be an idiot, the pauses seemed very reassuring. "...hmm... I think it is... Yuon... NO! Yuan!"

"You're so smart Lloyd!" exclaimed Colette with a happy jump. She seemed to be very pleased that Lloyd answered it all correctly.

Raine sighed, and then shook her hands and head. "Seems that you actually know some stuff... Perhaps there is hope for you yet..."

There were already at the pass that loomed high above them. Large rocks and boulders threw their shadows down upon them like invisible ghosts that reached an immense height of one hundred or so feet. The tops of the mountains could be seen faintly as the clouds began to cover over them with their white mists. Large strands of green ivy could be seen wrapping around the edges of some rocks. The passages to travel onwards seemed long and thin, easy to crumble and fall down towards death.

"Let's stay together. Such passageways are thin, and we do not wish to fall."

Something was bugging him down into his stomach. His hearing was picking up something moving, but when he turned to look, there were just the shadows of monsters shuffling among the edges of ledges, too far away to attack. Yet there was this air around the whole place that the adult did not enjoy at all...

Eventually, they began climbing up the paths that wound their ways around the rocks and boulders. Slowly, yet surely, they reached one little section on the mountain that was so small, only one could fit in at a time. Yet, that whole nervousness rested in his stomach. Turning his head around, he could tell that Lloyd was feeling something wrong as well. They were being watched. The adult could tell, especially if BOTH of the angels sensed the same thing. Lloyd's head was arching up towards the little shrubs that grew hap-hazard on the slopes...

"WATCH OUT!" he yelled as he threw himself in front of the Chosen.

All chaos ensued from then on! Dust resulted from the shuffling of Genis's and Raine's feet, feet that had nowhere to go because of the space that was not there. Kratos grabbed the frightened Colette and placed his shield over her, making sure that there were no hidden objects flying around to stab them.

"CORRINE!" came out a voice from above the smoke that appeared out of nowhere.

Suddenly, a grey shadow dropped out of the sky behind Lloyd and Genis! It plopped straight down from the bottom of the trees that seemed to barely hold themselves up, not to mention an attacker! Quickly, the figure jumped over Genis, who was still stunned and tired to get his weapon out from where ever he hid it, and jumped amazingly high over Lloyd! It zoomed passed Raine, who tried to give it a whack with her stick, but missed, hitting only the shadow that was left of it. In fact, the large gray blob was heading straight for him! Accompanied with another, and smaller, blob.

Kratos prepared himself to attack whatever it was with full force, sheathing out his weapon faster than what he would like to show in front of others, but he had to protect the Chosen One. It was a good thing that the blob wasn't after Lloyd. However, before he actually COULD attack with his weapon, the shadow tripped down on some rocks.

"SHIT! What the hell!?" came a feminine voice.

There was a red shadow that lunged at the gray shadow's feet area, no doubly Lloyd. Before anything else could happen, the two blobs faced each other, and their cries filled the whole pass.

"What the-?!? Llo-eena?!?" they cried in unison, mixing up their words.

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Retouched - [4.28.2009]_


	17. Chapter 17

_Angels of Cruxis  
By: Fehize_

_----------_

The dust was already settling down over the areas of the ridges. It seemed to be that there was nothing but fog and clouds now that the cold mountain air was trying to reach the area that led towards the sea. By natural reasons left unchecked by Cruxis, deserts seemed to hold nothing but dry air. The only forms of precipitation that existed in the area were fierce and intense storms that happened only one or twice a year. They brought rain that the people of Triet would need badly in order to survive.

In the city of Triet, or town of Triet, whatever is wished to be called, the sun was already reaching its midpoint. The heat from the rays cast no shadows for the citizens any shelter. However, the people who lived within the area knew that the sun could do horrendous damage, thus they always wore clothing that seemed to be outdone for someone who knows nothing of desert culture. Their homes were made such that the heat would not get trapped until the sun settled down and cooled the desert at a drastic pace.

One desert dweller was considered the odd one from the whole place. Sure, she wore what everyone else wore: blue colored scarf covering brown hair that seemed to be tamed by such a simple object, dark blue clothing that wrapped around her body like a cocoon, light tan leather shoes that covered her feet from the worse of the sands, bells and trinkets to make sure that she had the proper look, and all added with a little charm bracelet that was no bigger than a small gem. That little gem was her absolute pride and joy, for she found it among one of her scavenging trips abound the world when she wasn't busy with other affairs...

The day's business was very slow that afternoon. The heat was setting an all record high - it what normally happens right before a massive storm - as it tried to bake even herself within the confinements of her tent. Because of the oncoming storm, she was beginning to pack up everything that rested within her little hobble. Seemed that this night she will have to spend at the inn. Up went her lovely silken cloths, bought by the money that she gained for making fortunes. There was serious money-making in fortunes, especially if one such as herself held the only monopoly...

Yet, today she did not seem eager to make money either. There seemed to be something gnawing her inner stomach as she began putting away some of her precious objects. Subconsciously, she moved her hand over towards the empty gap where she had once placed her crystal ball...

_Ah, yes. Silly girl. You gave it to the child..._ she chastised herself. It seemed that she forgot about that again.

The young teenager, who was far much more than a young face... (No, she was NOT checking him out. His face just hid things, that was all.) His whole appearance still stunned her. After all, it was not even yet dawn when he rushed into her tent, having a face filled with sorrow, confusion, and nervousness. His little white flaps of cloth flowed behind him as he turned to face her with his arms placed in front of him; his hands in fists.

_"Look. I need to know. My mother..."_

_She gazed into the ball. It was not really a foresight-seeing crystal, but when she claimed she could see the future when she first began her work, everyone didn't believe her for she had no ball. The beautiful crystal was more like a gaudy toy for the customer's pleasure. She could call the fortune at will, as long as she knew what she had to fortune about._

_So, it surprised her when she glanced into her inner mind to see the future that she could see nothing. Only a grey mist surrounding everything with tints of red light piercing through holes in the dust showed. The telling haunted her drastically, making her eye of the foretelling fall back down onto the gaze of the teenager. A fortune, a different one, came up from within her. It dealt with the same teenager, except he was clad in the purest white and holding a pale blue sword and its near identical twin. There was a different look about him, a look that showed knowledge and power that mere mortals could not know about. Behind him was another white and belted clad adult, holding a red flaming sword in his hands. It was the same guy that so meanly asked for his fortune, except there was death glaring from his eyes. Both poised, both ready, each waiting to attack a prey that was in the other side of her Sight. Words rang out from the vision, but all she could hear was "...oyd...", "...igin...", "...est Lance...", "...na, why?", and the final, yet frightening, "...egin the War of Spirits..." Bright light filled her sight as she was sent crashing back to Triet, feeling as if the skin from her body was tossed out and replaced with a new one. (She had the same feeling many years ago, when she was younger. Except harder and more intense.)_

_It was the first time she could not foretell something, and yet she did. It scared her. The only exception to her foretelling was that she could never foresee herself or her own future, no matter what._

_"My mother?" he asked again, quietly and wishing._

_"I can see nothing but war. A large and destructive war that will place the Kharlan War into the memories of a single petty battle." Those words came out from her mouth, her tongue saying what must be said, even if she had no idea until that moment she said it._

_The teen left, more confused than ever, saddened for something she could not help with. "Wait! Lloyd! Take your play ball, child," she said calmly and sweetly as she gave him her precious crystal for a reason that eluded her mind... "Make yourself smile, you need one. Stay close to your friends, for you shall be needing them soon."_

She shook her head, letting that thought stray away from her mind like dust in a wind. Her brown eyes rotated among the whole scenery of the tent, searching for anything missing. With nothing showing, she began to dissemble her tent as the clouds from the mountains began to cover the horizon.

On the way over, she ran into one of her more common customers. He was not from Triet, but he did not perspire in the sun, so that led her to think that he was from the general area. Like always, he wore a tanned cloak that covered everything but his blue eyes and his black and red shoes. She gave him a very gentle bow, and then looked up to address him. He greeted her, but in a voice more worried than normal.

"Where is the Chosen?" he asked. It was the same question as last time, and the time before that, and the time before that too.

"She is gone. Went towards the pass, it seems."

"How about Sheena?"

"She left this area about a week ago. She was fine. As was Corrine."

The adult pondered. "Lloyd... Ah, never mind. I will ask you later before the apparent storm hits."

She bowed to him in the appropriate Triet style. "Good-bye, Lord Yuan."

He turned around and arched his eye. "Uncanny, really, how you have that talent, and how accurate it is. Anyways," he ended, waving his hand as he faded into the shifting sand, "good-bye, Anna."

---

"What the hell? Lloyd?!? What are you doing over here?!"

"**Sheena?!?** What the **hell**, YOURSELF!!!"

"I thought you were-"

"Sheena?!?"

"Lloyd?!?"

"_Sheena?!?_"

"**Lloyd?!?**"

"_**Sheena?!?**_"

"Lloyd?!?"

"_Sheena__?!?_"

"_**Lloyd**_**?!?**"

"Enough!" cried Kratos as he stood right between the paths of the two teenagers that were pointing at each other with their fingers. The brown haired teenager held his finger at the black haired teen girl/woman, both stunned in ways that would make it seem nothing else could be worse! The adult took a deep breath as Lloyd, the son, kept on gaping his mouth. Wow, if this didn't get him into some serious shit... "First and foremost, who are you?" began Lloyd's father in a serious tone of voice to the girl called Sheena. "How do you two know each other?" This last question was done in grave curiousness. No doubt as a reason as to why, mainly because as a child, he was **never** supposed to see Sheena in the fist place.

"Ummm. I..." began Sheena, still stunned and on the ground. The two people were not holding fingers at each other, but their eyes were still in utter shock. "I...ugh... I..." Lloyd saw Sheena throw herself up from the ground and throw her arms out in the typical fashion. "Hey! I'm not going to tell you!" It was obvious she was rather nervous, mainly because she was not taking another step closer towards Kratos, but she was trying to get the upper hand. They both knew what Kratos could do when he was provoked, even more when angry!

Raine stepped closer, her hand wound tightly around her staff, ready to attack at any moment's notice, clearly angry that Sheena had crashed onto their traveling group. "You already told us the first part of your name, Ms. Sheena. I trust you will give us the rest or we shall get incredibly angry at you and _may_ attack you for suspicions of assaulting the Chosen."

Sheena gave one of her furious grunts/hisses. She held her arms around in small little fists and pulled them towards the side. "Arg! Shimatta! There is NO way I am going to tell you the rest of it! Already fine enough you know my **first** name!" Lloyd had to give her the fine points of defiance, that was for sure. However, Raine was not finished.

"And YOU, Lloyd AURION!" she screamed, pointing her finger straight at him. "I just _knew_ you were trouble the moment I laid eyes on you! Just how do you know this... this _**lady**_?!?" She said the lady word quite loud, acting as if his friend did not deserve that title.

Unfortunately, there was no happy-chum-chum dad to go help out right then. His arms were folded, his look cross and upset, his eyes piercing. It was the first time he had ever received that look straight at his face. First time ever that his dad seemed angry beyond words... "Lloyd," he began in his affirmative voice. His very stern and very affirmative voice. "How do you know Ms. Sheena...?"

"Ugh... well... See... It's a funny story..." Lloyd stammered and was felling all these emotions well up inside of him. His gut was saying he was in serious trouble now, more if he remained silent.

Luckily, or unluckily, Sheena responded first in her angry tone as well, but still keeping mindful of Kratos. "We have been best buds since children, Kratos. Of **course** we would know each other!"

_Ah, CRAP! __**That**__ was a __great__ way to tell them!_

"LLOYD!" roared Kratos as Genis, Collete, and Raine grabbed Sheena as they began to climb up towards the misty summits of the mountains.

---

"Alright, Lloyd. Tell me right **now** who she is and how you two seem to know each other since... _**childhood**_."

His dad was pissed. That was very apparent because his fists were clutching and his brows were set down in a furrowing mode. His head was not exactly showing the monotone it normally showed around others.

Of course, Lloyd and Kratos were now alone in a small hotel room on this little seaside town. Therefore, there was not really anyone else around. It was just father and son now... Yikes.

"Dad..." Lloyd began, trying to get the best of words so that his dad could stay not-quite-so-angry. "When I was about... what?... Seven, Noishe ran in with a whine and..."

"Noishe? You expect me to believe it was the protozoan?"

"Well, it was!" he cried out in his defense. "There I was, when Noishe came in and tugged me by the belt, so I followed him! And right there in the pri-"

Kratos grabbed his mouth and covered it by his gloved hand. The motion was swift and quick, but there was still the undeniable tenderness that he always received from the red headed man. "Shh. Not so loud. The Chosen can still hear us through the walls if we raise our voice high enough." He then let go, but the stern face still held. "Continue, Lloyd."

He stayed silent for a small moment, but then continued. "Well... there in the prison cells was Sheena. She and I... welll... Noishe thought I could use a friend... So then we kinda kept on meeting each other almost every week."

Kratos ran his finger through his hair, sighing. Then, he turned his head towards him. "How long have you two been seeing each other, _.Cruxis'_?"

Lloyd hung his head down. "...Since we came on this thing together..."

Kratos was really sighing out now, but the teenager couldn't see what emotions his father was going through. Was he sad, upset, angry, or just... all three? "For about ten years, Lloyd... Ten years..."

And then his father did the strangest thing of all. He began to start laughing! _What?!?_ But it was TRUE! Kratos, his father, began to laugh as if he was being tickled by imaginary hands. He threw his head back and his spiky hair began to rise and fall! "You're just like Anna and I when we were around like that!" It was odd, SO **strange** to see it, but it must have been worth it 'cause he began to tear from the laughing. "Ahahaha!" I just kept on going!

Lloyd wondered if Seraphim could get sick.

Eventually, his father calmed down. Eventually, his father wiped his face with his hands, leaving little dark purple streaks among his glove. Eventually, his father sighed a happy - even if slightly minute - sigh. "Ah, Lloyd. You are a wonder sometimes..." No doubt, he was confused, but decided to leave it like that. The red headed 'mercenary' adult turned to face the brown haired, and then did a small frown, but his eyes were somewhat... twinkling? "I expect Ms. Sheena to stay with us though. She could endanger the journey, and we - not Genis, the Chosen, or Raine - must have her around." He arched his eye. "I trust you already told of Cruxis, no doubt..."

Lloyd felt nervous. "Ugh... yes..."

Kratos held his hand to his head and shook it. "I thought so..."

---

Kratos tuned down the lamp as he saw Lloyd pretend to fall asleep. It was a good thing too, mainly because he had to stay there and ponder about things that had just happened earlier that day. Gently, he fuzzed and fluffed up his son's hair, playing gently with it and making sure that Lloyd rested contently. "Get some real sleep, Lloyd," he muttered under his breath as Lloyd's eyes began to settle down towards the closed position. Because Lloyd was younger, his body needed more rest than the adult Seraphim did. On top of that, Kratos was turned into a Serpahim since he was around twenty-five. Lloyd was far much younger than that.

As the sleeping rhythmic patterns continued onto the night, the red head began to think softly to himself. Should he be the man of Cruxis and finish Sheena's life? It would the right thing to do by Cruxis's standards... but then again... It was something wrong. Somehow, it didn't seem right right to go and silence someone because of what they know. _But Lloyd might have told her EVERYTHING! Including Martel, Mithos, Yuan, and the truth of the Journey of Regeneration! If she tells everyone else..._ But that would make him have to kill his son's friend because of her being in the way. Was that what Anna was to Cruxis? A human that was in the way, no longer useful because of her relationship with a High Order member? He always wondered if he could have taken some information off of Kvar before he killed him...

What would make his son want to danger himself and all of Cruxis with a person he didn't know? Lloyd said it dealt with the green and white protozoan, but why would Noishe do something like that? Did Noishe really have a reason?

Still, the whole sneaking into _**Cruxis**_ was funny. It reminded him of the days when Anna and him were running among the wilds, far from Cruxis, far from the Desians; far from the hashes of reality for those sweet and short two years. Not that it seemed that Sheena was that 'friendly' - in that sense - with Lloyd, but it brought in those memories.

Friends... Lloyd seemed to grow a whole lot of those in just two weeks of traveling. The only problem is that such friends can lead to make tougher decisions when it comes time to betray them...

Sighing, the adult rose from the bed and opened the door that led towards the inner workings of the inn. The whole in was silent and dark because everyone else was asleep at that moment. There was no light coming from candles, so the only real light source was the moon that was hanging outside. The plainness made for a black shadow casting over everything around them, sort of like a closed closet with only the smallest of cracks. Going down the wooden stairs that led outside, making sure as to not creak anything to make enough noise to awaken anyone. Once that was done, he was greeted with the sound and smell of the ocean hitting the sandy beach with a simple lapping sound. Peaceful.

Going towards the shore, he sat down on the edge of the area where the sea met the land. The ocean was a dark grey-blue color as the moon was leaving a simple reflection on the surface of the great expanse. Only one or two dark clouds went on ahead and made an obstruction towards the heavens. Even though Derris Kharlan was so close, the truth was that the optical illusion still seemed so real.

"Thinking about something, _**Kratos?**_" asked Raine, who had tried to sneak behind him. She had almost succeeded because of his lost in thought, but he recovered and acted how he normally did. Raine, at least, still was her normal self at all hours of the day.

"Hmph."

"I know what's going on here! Sheena is no doubt Lloyd's partner in crime! You may have fooled Collete and Genis, but I am _watching_ you, Kratos! And your cousin, Lloyd!"

It seemed Sheena had not told anyone. That was good. Lloyd could keep another 'new' friend to replace the Chosen, who will have to die...

But is sacrificing the Chosen almost like sacrificing Anna for Yggdrasil's wants? After all, they were both supposed to be presents...

Raine left, annoyed because he never responded further.

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_  
Retouched - [4.28.2009]_


	18. Chapter 18

_Angels of Cruxis  
By: Fehize _

_----------_

Raine was pissed beyond normal words, and it wasn't even DAWN yet!

And a certain little red and brown haired couple/team/relative/_whatever_ they are were at the ROOTS of her problems! They were most DEFIANTLY up to something! After all, a woman, jumping at them in the middle of a mountain range, ready to **attack** them all, and then here goes Lloyd in a well-to-do manner talking to her in recognition! SOMETHING is going underfoot here, or her name is not Raine Sage! Not to mention that the mercenary-thief grabbed Sheena towards them instead of getting near herself! Ohhoho... She is on to you, Mr. Mono-Don't-Mess-With-Me! _BOY_, is she on to you!

There, now she felt better. The dawn was just beginning to show its pink shadow upon her face as it rose over the great expanse of water... Ugh... Water. **Was** she afraid of getting into the surface? Kratos mentioned something about having to head towards the city of Palmacosta to see where the next seal is... Of course, now she is sure HE wants too. After all, what better place to steal unimaginable treasure than a place where the seals exist?!? The Triet Ruins treasure was all destroyed by Hellfire, no naturally there would be nothing there worthy of stealing! And that legendary sword that was used in the Kharlan War, the Flambergade! The fortune teller said something about it, not that fortune tellers actually do anything REAL, so therefore...

Conspiracy! She smells it!

There was another sound as she turned around to see what created it. Ended up that it was Lloyd and... Sheena... WITH Genis... AND the Chosen One, Colette. The whole group of teenagers just walking along the edge of the sand! Once again, she told herself to grab Genis and take him out from the grasps of the brown haired child, but she just couldn't. Silently, she gave a small sigh. Genis finally seemed to have found some sort of friend... So, she decided to continue her watch over the Aurion people.

_Aurion... Kratos Aurion..._ For some reason, that last name kept on haunting her mind. Like something really important that she simply could not get her mind to figure out what, exactly. It seems that she had once heard that name from somewhere before... Like perhaps from a book or something... Sadly, there seemed to be absolutely nothing that she could think of at that moment... until...

_Kratos... Mithos... Yuan... and the guidance of the Goddess Martel. Wow. Someone must have been having high hopes to name her son after Kratos, the hero of the Kharlan War. Too bad he ended up being some sort of thief. I pity that mother..._ Still... it was not the name 'Kratos' that piqued her interest... but rather the 'Aurion' part. Goddess Martel it all! Why can't she recall that last name's importance! Something in her mind is screaming at her, telling her that it is VERY important that she learns it! HASH BROWNS! She can't remember!

Frowning and pouting, she brought forth her mouth into a small upside down 'u'. Staring on into the area where her younger brother was, she noticed that Lloyd and Sheena were trying to drag on in Colette and Genis into the shallow ends of the water. Everyone seemed happy and pleased, each one with their own large smiles dragging on upwards with their hands splashing in the waters - despite being near winter's height. Raine knew that Genis did not suspect the Aurions of anything. Why would he? So, she had to make sure that she protected him. YES! That was what she was going to do! Of course, Colette had to come first because of her being the Chosen One, but if she wasn't, Genis all the way! Not that Colette was a mean person or anything. Genis was family. Colette only was slightly behind because she was a friend. She was ahead in life-giving support because without her, the whole world would die. Even if she ever came to something that bad, it would be Colette. For sure, she would not want to see Genis's face...

Something like that BETTER not happen.

"You're thinking about something," came a mutter from behind. Startled, she grabbed her staff and was about to turn around and give the surprise-er a thonk on the head, but it was just Kratos. Then again, a thonk on the head would not be all that bad...

"Hmph," she responded, acting like he was only a few hours earlier.

"Look, Raine. I can tell you disprove of me, but I want you to know that I am not here to pillage off from you. It seems that is what you have been thinking, I can assume..." OH! His little I-know-everything attitude sure does peeve her off! Of course, she doesn't show all of it, even though a small amount is shown on her face. "I was paid to be the Chosen's protector, and as a mercenary, that is what I do." With a little blink, he turned around to walk towards Genis and the others, always keeping his hand on his sword in a tense pose. _Shesh, what is he expecting? Someone to randomly come on up and attack him or something? He's more cautious and tense than a mother bear!_

Lloyd waved his hand towards Kratos and gave him a large, happy grin, calling to come into the water with them. The adult seemed to shake his head no, but remained there on the beach's edge, watching them.

Raine just hoped Genis wouldn't call her in. She hates water.

So large.

So black...

No air...!

Just one foot in that stuff can make her drown! Oh no! Please no boat rides in the coming future!

---

She lifted her hand that held the cup of _sencha_, or commonly called Green Tea for those who did not come from the land of Mizuho... Or Lloyd and Kratos, 'cause they knew all languages, it seems. After all, what is a five _thousand_ year old guy going to do when he's not doing Cruxis stuff? Paint? Grow FLOWERS? (And because Lloyd didn't know what flowers really were a whole lot when he was young... that option is sure out the window!)

Lloyd and Kratos were there with her, and they were all talking together. Kratos, being Lloyd's DAD after all, was busy giving Sheena a look she kinda expected from him, and Lloyd was... being Lloyd. They were all drinking her famous Mizuhoian Green Tea, each of them looking at each other in the small inn. Everyone else was out looking for a boat, or getting some fresh air outside, so only the three people sat there...

If SHE was alone with Kratos, in a room, by herself, with his sword lying anywhere nearby, she would freak out.

Seriously.

MAJORLY.

Kratos kinda... scared her. After all, while Lloyd went all "Oh, wow! His spells are so COOL!" **she** was going "Oh, FUCK! I do NOT want to get hit by those things!" It was the kinda scare that didn't exactly want to make you piss in your pants, but want to make you run and scream like a little girl. NOT something that she did on a normal basis... There he was, right there, folding his arms over, giving her the 'What shall I do with you?' stare.

"So, Sheena Fujibayashi, I may presume. There have been words about your special talents going about in Derris Kharlan while I was about up there: talents, such, that cannot be ignored by those that know already..." The red headed adult gave her such a glare that it sent shivers down her spine. She could have also _**imagined**_ the glare as well though... It was possible as that face that she was receiving seemed what Lloyd called his 'normal face'. _If that is his normal, than no wonder Lloyd always shooed me away when his dad was around. Gesh!_ As she began to think, she realized that the mercenary had mentioned talents. _He KNOWS?!?_ "Sheena..." he tried again, this time, getting her undivided attention...

"Sheena, I know that you can do Summoning, as I heard you summon in Corrine when you tried to ambush us." Kratos was now not holding anything in his hands, just looking at her. "As Lloyd told me earlier, you come from Mizuho, which is quite a far distance from here on Sylvarant, especially since the whole dimensional time-space affair prevents normal inhibitors of the other world from reaching here. So, it would be well advised if you can manage to tell me as to how you managed to get here."

Sheena took a deep breath. She had promised Lord Yuan that she was not going to tell about the Renegades, or her work for them. Not even her buddy, Lloyd, knew about her involvement with this new and dangerous mission. The mission, no doubt, to kill the Chosen One from this world to make sure that her world stays flourishing. Yuan stated it was something VERY important and VERY crucial that she saves her world. Of course, she was sure that there was something else going behind the scenes, but she had no idea how to get enough information as to decipher Lord Yuan's real attempts. Surely, his desire to save her world couldn't be that great... Or could it? She couldn't exactly **trust** that Lord Yuan enough, either... "I have been practicing summoning since I was little in the village of Mizuho, as you already know. Of course, it began with trying to bring foreword characters from magic cards filled with ancient Mana. Later, as I grew older, I was summoned by the Chosen One in order to further on my skills. It was then that I could summon on Corrine, my friendly fox." How could she bring up the comment on getting towards Sylarant? Lying seemed to be so horrible, but it also seemed like a decent way of getting out. Of course, what if she got caught... "As for getting here, Kratos, sir... I... I ah... See, I was sent here by a close benefactor of mine that believed that I could do greater good for my world by staying here for a while."

Lloyd gave her the look that he normally gave her, which made things seem kinda of ok. She was still not in her 'happy place' mood right then and there. "See, dad. What did I tell you. Sheena's cool!"

His dad, on the other hand, still seemed to be deep in thought. "Summoning is an art that even people from **your** world, Sheena Fujibayashi, have basically lost. As a matter of fact, I believe with you here, that makes only about three summoners in my knowledge." Sheena wondered about that statement for a moment. _Is this with his own son included or not...?_ If included, it sure was a small world after all. If not... who was the last missing person? "With your talents, I am curious about all of this..."

"Well, what I said is what I said, Kratos." She did not want to sound what her insides felt.

Kratos seemed to think, and then nodded slowly. "Alright then, Miss Fujibayashi. I hope you do not mind, but I cannot simply allow you to go around and cause any more unnecessary ambushes with us any more. Because of that, I am afraid that you have to now travel with us, and only stay near Lloyd and myself. NO one should know where you came from, nor should anyone one know about your summoning skills."

Lloyd pointed out something as soon as Kratos finished talking. "Don't you mean Raine not find out anything like that?"

Kratos rolled his eyes.

---

The town's name was known throughout the citizens who lived there. It was because it was the only town that housed the fish for the western side of Sylvarant, the rest of the fish being supplied in by Palmacosta. The houses were all made out of flimsy material, each one having the smell of the ocean deep within the individual grains of wood. The whole group of people was there, waiting for the day's decision of where to go.

"Listen up everyone," began the red headed mercenary. "We have a choice. We could head straight towards Palmacosta right now, across the sea, or we could travel northwards through the... Hima region and head towards the area in that region."

Raine frowned slightly as such options were held up. Genis noticed that she seemed to be a worry-wort over such things that delt with water. Surely, she could not be afraid of it? Right? He himself had to ponder about what way should they go. For some reason, he had this strange hunch that up north had some seals... Mainly because Kratos advised that they COULD go up in the first place... Also, wouldn't angels already know where the seals exist already? Therefore, he was POSITIVE that they should go north. If they did go north...

"Raine," Genis said, "I have an option. We should go north towards the Tower of Mana. Maybe we can find something there to help us out. Besides, it would get you far away from water and..."

SLAP! Raine's hand went far along his face, throwing his head back towards his back for a few inches. It was nothing serious, but Genis knew it had struck a small nerve. "I am NOT afraid of the water!" she screamed. She only stopped when she realized that the others were looking at her with wierd expressions. "I agree with Genis, we shall head up towards the north. If any place has possible seals, then it could be one of the three famous tourist attractions."

Sheena turned around to face them. Genis wondered who she was and why she was still following them around. "You guys have tourist attractions here, too?" She seemed a bit stunned at those words. "So you have farris wheels and other nice gizmos as well?"

Raine twitched her eye. "No, Miss. We have ancient ruins that people just love to go visit."

Genis noticed that Kratos's head then nodded up and down. "Alright. So it has been decided. We will travel northwards through the Hima region, and then, travel around through nearby areas first. We will then travel south towards Palmacosta. Any questions?"

No one had a question, but Colette was clearly happy to get moving. Everyone was getting excited to continue. Except maybe the new traveler, who was busy giving sulking faces at Colette when she thought no one was looking...

---

The road towards the north began simple enough. After all, the path was clearly marked out by people who traveled that way to begin with, as well as the lack of trees. The mountains were clearly visible for miles about as the travelers feet pounded against the floor below. It seemed to be quite an average day. There was very little monsters about, and Raine, Genis, and the Chosen seemed to take care of them on their own. They seemed to be nothing really out of the ordinary. The sun high above them was shinning brightly, but not fierce as it could be in the middle of summertime. The temperature was falling as a result of them coasting the shoreline.

"Kratos," began the Chosen One as she held her arms together before talking to them, "I wanted to ask you something. How long have you been a mercenary?"

Raine snorted in the background as Genis and the Chosen both brought in thier faces for a closer look. The red headed mercenary stared back at thier faces, each one trying to think of a number that he possibly could fall under. Even Lloyd was doing it, maybe just to be funny. He sighed softly. "Longer than Genis has been alive."

The half elf owed and awed. "Wow! That means you must have been a mercenary when you were a teenager!"

His red hair swished softly as he made a little humphing noise. It could be considered as a yes, but on his normal circumstances, it also meant a no. His son was busy looking around, his hands nowhere near his swords, but that was to be expected from the teen. He still held his carefree attitude and also acted like any normal person from this world. That was well, because no one was supposed to suspect anything.

Well, there was Raine, but he had a feeling that that was how she acted about almost everyone...

---

The rain was coming down faster than her eyes could normally see from her window. The little thing was really not worthy of being called a window in the first place, but more like a rectangle cut out from sod and clay, covered with small planks of wood. Such wood was regular wood that did not much from protecting from water as it could do from sun. Even then, they were hung wide open. For some reason, she despised being stuck within a closed compartment and she enjoyed the smell and sight of the heavens crying.

The inn room was a small one, and it was only to be rented out for her for a few days. It shouldn't take much time for the desert to swallow all of that water that was being thrown down upon it. It was like watching a giant sponge: a large and yellow sponge.

There was a knock at the door towards the inside of her inn. Turning her head around, she noticed the shadow of something down at the bottom of the door. _Oh bother,_ she thought as she opened the door. Who could be there waiting for her when she wanted alone time? Slowly, however, she opened the door, ignoring her inner comments. In front of her was the same man who stopped by yesterday, Lord Yuan of the Big Blue Building Down the Lane.

"Hello, Yuan. How may I help you on this fine day?"

He was frowning. Not really at her, but at something else. "I hate rainy days like this. Just when I thought the sound of the sand whipping by would stop, the endless sound of rain pelts me."

She nodded her head in assurance. "Oh. So, what else brings you here aside from placid storytelling?"

He raised an eyebrow. "I thought you knew stuff like that already?"

She raised her OTHER eyebrow. "Only when I feel like it."

In the end, he shook his head. "Anyways, I am here for something else. Have you seen a man with red hair?"

The woman brought up her finger towards her mouth before rolling her brown hair around her it. _Red hair... _She thought about it for a moment, and then realized that the only red head she have ever seen was that stern one who visited for a few moments a day ago. Or a few. _Ahh.. the one who had the glowing red sword that matched his eyes... Hmm... odd that so many people question about him. First, it was that scholar woman, then it was me who met him, and know Lord Yuan? I mean, sure, scholar lady wanted to know for she thinks he's a thief, but Lord Yuan is an important person. He only asks if..._

_I wonder..._ She brought her eyes up towards his. "I might have... but it might have been just an imagination of my eyes..."

He flashed her a red, fat ruby, just like the red guy's hair.

"Sure, I have seen the one you seek. He is currently walking north with the Chosen's group, heading towards Hima," she replied back, fingering her latest gem in her hands.

Lord Yuan left her alone as she sat down and wondered what would make him return after only a few days. Leaving that thought alone, she grabbed the gem and opened a large satchel. Inside was many others, each filled with an array of colors. She plopped the new one inside.

Outside her room of the inn was something she couldn't see, however. A group of people were entering the town of Triet. In truth, they were Renegades, but people just ran away from then, thinking they were Desians. One of them was holding up a picture, and the others were heading towards the inn.

It took only a few moments, but the woman was caught and dragged off, her only items she had was her purse that was hidden under her clothing. She was screaming, but to no avail. The rain swallowed everything else she could do. Before she could try one more time, they slammed her head.

_----------_

_Some characters seem a bit - a lot - out of, well, character. Mainly Raine though. I do believe I toned down her ruin Mania a bit, but still.... Going back makes me remember of my not-so-excellent writing. Cut off a sentence of hers to help release the awkwardness by at least a fraction._

_Retouched - [4.28.2009]_


	19. Chapter 19

_Angels of Cruxis  
By: Fehize_

_----------_

In the world of a single person, there is nothing but an endless field of darkness. The one experiencing such darkness just floats there aimlessly, floating from one destination towards another, each place darker and darker than the one before, but not darker at all. The weight of such emptiness is recorded in only a few books, but those books are thought to be nothing but works of Darkness that doesn't allow for anything worthy or Light and Truth to penetrate, thus making such books being burned towards the fire. However, everyone feels the effects of such darkness when they sleep nightmares or fall unconscious. There are rumors among the people who reside within the distant, silent hallways that state that the realm of the Darkness is actually none other than the gateways towards the Land of the Demons, the residence of the world of the Nefhliem. Such rumors are those hushed down that are told only by campfires; told when the moon is hidden behind darkening clouds and there is a cold wind; told when there is the howl of a wolf on the far distance edge of a small camp. Even then, these such emotions and telling of this place was different from everyone. Some saw this darkness as absolutely nothing at all, with the only thing there is that person's own conscious. Others saw this as a place of rest or possible enjoyment. The truth of the matter really rested on the person in there in the first place. If one was filled with goodness, then this place might be scary for the lack of light, if the person had a corrupt soul, then this place was one of refuge and just another place that held onto secrets that needed to be plundered.

Of course, not everything went like that. Who can really say what this place is as once they leave none can remember what happened?

The woman with the brown hair and the same colored eyes flashed her view ports open groggily, shacking herself out of unconsciousness. The first attempt almost sent her sprawling back towards such a state of mind, but after a few moments of nausea, her physical body allowed herself to mover her head slightly. She at first wanted to groan, but her inner mind told her that that was best not to do: anyone could be watching and waiting for her to do such a thing. As her eyes adjusted towards the whole scenery, the pupils in her eyes absorbing the pale blues and light lavenders that covered the floor, she also noticed something that contrasted the nice-looking colors.

Black, black iron bars that was preventing her from leaving!

She was stuck inside a prison! It seemed unreasonable that such a thing could happen to her... but then again... The thoughts of what happened perhaps days, hours, or only a few moments earlier seemed to careen past her mind, playing everything back as if she could watch it in a third person. There she was, in her inn, then being called in by Lord Yuan... Only to be dragged out by Desian looking soldiers... Desians?!? No, they reminded her of the Renegades, the group who went against the members of Yggdrasil - whoever the hell **they** were (hey, she couldn't see _everything_) - to try to disband them and destroy them. But even that thought of logic seemed to bring up a fallacy in her logic. Why did Lord Yuan come in if she was just to be held captive by him...

Those thoughts kept on pondering through her as she still laid face down in the cold floor that held very little heat, heat that she was used to because of her wanderings through the desert whenever her mind told her to. The floor wasn't as cold as the desert nights, but the point was that she was in a cage, which was NOT something she wanted to be in! Why couldn't she see this? Mainly it was because she never saw her own future, but STILL! Throwing those thoughts aside, it led her to believe something else... Who really was Lord Yuan...? She had a feeling there was more to him and his ambition then he allowed to show towards the outside world. What could possible drive such a thing? Hatred was usually the cause for such rash action, but he seemed not to have any that showed outwardly...

There! Right in front of her was the sound of a noise the deemed people were coming! Managing the smallest turn of her head that she could do, she saw two little shoes - well, boots - come closer with each passing second. Not wanting to move her head anymore, she moved her eyes rather strain-fully to watch the shoes get closer and closer. Eventually, they were close enough for her to see the individual details quite clearly. Someone with rich intentions and massive influence was there in front of her, watching her. There was some sort of cape with red inner trimming and a black outside, but she could only see the hem along with the bottom parts of those shoes.

"Guard, come here," the rich man's voice boomed out loudly. In her mind, the woman wanted to scream! It was Lord Yuan! That monster of a man had her locked up and KNEW it! When she gets her little hands wrapped around his little neck...!

Someone else entered the room, wearing shoes of a Renegade, holding a lance. (Of course, this was all still seen by the bottom ends of their feet.) "Yes, my Lord?"

"Has she stirred any bit since you have been here under watch?"

There was some silence as the man - the guard - seemed to think. "Not that I can recall sir. I think she still might be out in her coma-like state. Would you want me to try to wake her up, my Lord?"

There was only the motion of something above her line of sight, and she dared not raise her eyes to see nor watch. "No matter then," Lord Yuan - she didn't even know _**why**_ she still called him 'Lord Yuan', considering what person HE ended up becoming! - began, "leave for now, I wish to stay here with the prisoner for a while." Prisoner, PRISONER?!? Oh, HELL NO! She was NO prisoner for this man! Any man at all!

The shuffling sounds of someone leaving towards a different section was the sound that could be heard in the entire area. In fact, if she didn't know that _Yuan_ was there, she would have thought no one else was there. The seemed to be not a single sound emitting from _Yuan_, not even the slightest of breath! _I hope he's not breathing, so can rot in H-E-L-L!_

"Anna," he began, his word making her cringe in anger. If only she had some sort of weapon! "I know you are conscious, for I can read your Mana signature that basically screams it all out. Next time, for the far flung future, I should perhaps tell my Renegades that they can read it too, after training them for hundreds of years on out... Still..."

He kept on talking about his army of... Renegades. It was rather boring and made her seem like he was just doing this to drone on with her boredom. Eventually, she got fed up and sat right up, anger flashing through her eyes as she gave that 'Lord' a stare that she could SWEAR burn down houses. "Just SHUT UP! I have had enough about you right now! Gesh, you think I **want** to hear about all of this stuff you find interesting?!? If it came out of your mouth... yuk!"

Yuan held his hands in a folded position. "Anna... This is going to be difficult to explain, but I need a fortune..."

She held up the worst finger that she could to his face, knowing that such a gesture didn't mean much since she was the one stuck in prison. "Fuck you!"

He seemed unfazed by such a word. Rather typical and foreseeable even WITHOUT using her... 'powers'. "Anna, look, I locked you up so that the Desians would think that I was a fellow Desian and had captured you first."

Well, even if it did come out of **his** mouth, that caught her easily by surprise. "What?!?"

"It seems that your uncanny ability to foretell the future seems to have the calling of many. It should have happened sooner, but it seems that your good luck had managed to keep it out of the Desian's ears after so many years of you doing this service. Eventually, the Desians have heard rumors of your talents, and I just realized that Pronyma's group have decided to haul your little butt over towards... their leader, Yggdrasil, as a 'present' of some sort." He chuckled evilly right then, but a chuckle meant at someone else. "Pronyma, that puppy dog suck up artist, she would do ANYTHING to try to become a Seraphim."

"That STILL doesn't explain as to why I am stuck in this prison!"

He smirked as he pulled out a set of some sort of card - her inner vision was telling her it was a electronic swiping ID card, whatever the crap that meant - and opened her prison. "That was because I just wanted to see your reaction when you woke up. You could perhaps be a decent warrior when you get angry. All you needed was a weapon of some sort." He glanced at her hair, which was split into a disarray because of her struggle against the guards to begin with. "Of course, you could have used your hair against me in a prickle-needle fashion as they seem sharp enough as it is. Who KNOWS when was the last time you took a bath..."

She slapped him. "If I didn't know any better, I might say you actually MIGHT be hitting on me," she growled. She did NOT have needles for hair! Her hair was soft and wonderfully lavish: the prize of the desert which made many men look over at her, even if it DID annoy her a lot!

He rubbed his cheek. "Hmph. My heart lies elsewhere."

She raised her arms. "FINE! I'll believe you this ONCE, but if you start doing some sort of thing that makes me seem otherwise, I'll give you SO much Nefhliemy Hell you would have wished you died when you were two and a half!"

Yuan - she now refused to use the term 'Lord', something was still up - smiled, though not really one of those I-am-so-happy-for-you smiles. This was more of a I-am-glad-we-see-each-other-on-the-same-line-now-you-crazy-woman smiles. Ok, maybe not really the 'crazy-woman', but still... "Alright then. We have rooms ready for you here in the Renegade Base. Right now I need a fortune..."

Anna held out her hand. "No pay, no work." How else was she supposed to make a living where nothing grew but sand and cactus?!?

Sighing, he pulled out something from his pocket. It was a nice, fat pearl from somewhere far away, perhaps right by Palmacosta because of the quality of it. The pearl glittered in the lights that seemed to hang in from the ceiling high above, casting soft rainbows down upon the floor and walls. It was also as large her both of her thumbs stuck together. Arching an eye towards Yuan, she frowned. Big payments meant a hard and long fortune (or multiple ones), and that meant for one long day.

"What is it that you want?" she asked as she placed away her newest member of her gem collection in its required pouch.

Yuan began to walk out of the prison and began to head towards the doors that led deeper into his... 'mansion'. (She had foreseen this place before.) The fortune teller kept a mental note that she had better memorize how to travel among the many passages. That way, if she ever had to escape...

"You know about Sheena, right?"

Anna frowned. She didn't know much about that girl. Sure, she has seen her once (not including in her fortunes), but the occasion was short and not very well remembered. SHe could recall most of all, the obscene dress. Of course, if it was HER, she wouldn't mind wearing it... It was always so hot in that desert, and that outfit seemed sooo coollllllllllll...

"Anna?"

"Oh!" she yelled, getting back towards reality. "Um, I have seen her and know her a LITTLE bit, but didn't you already ask me about that earlier?" She tilted her head as Yuan nodded up and down.

"She has gone missing since we sent her out on her last mission, and we are wondering about her. Normally, when she is gone for this long, she sends some sort of message telling us that she's ok and that she is doing well. I have a feeling she might be running into trouble with objects dealing with her mission... especially with _him_ around her... _Him_ **and** _his_ son..."

Anna brought her hands behind her back and simply called forth her awesome powers. It sure didn't take long to see what was going on! She was so happy that she was so talented! (It helped out with the bills all the time!) "Hmm.. Sheena seems ok! I see her traveling with a certain group..." Her eyes suddenly went wide with shock. "HEY! It's that Chosen's group with that evil dis-believer of a scholar woman! She was the one insulting me!" _Hmph. I can TOO see what is to come!_ In her minds eye, she also saw someone one else: the rest of the Chosen's crew. "Sheena seems to be always walking around the red head one... and this brown headed one as well." She glanced up to see that Yuan was frowning, obviously VERY upset about something. "What?" The brown headed kid was nice! How could he be all scowling like that?

"The red head... Kratos... and Lloyd... What is she doing with them?" Yuan pondered, then took a turn to face her. "Anna, tell me why Sheena is traveling with them." He was getting more serious.

Not wanting to waste so much time, her response was quick and sharp. "She was caught by Lloyd Aurion and Kratos Aurion, being held as some sort of prison for ambushing them." _Wait a minute. She was AMBUSHING the Chosen's group? Why would she be trying to ambush them unless she wanted to kill... the Chosen... Oh. my. desert... Yuan... He wants to kill the CHOSEN ONE?!?_ Mental thoughts raced as she turned her head around to face Yuan. Of course, right on queue, he threw her into the room that was to be her prison... again. (Except this was a real room with a lock instead of bars.)

"You know far too much to go outside, Miss Fortune. I am afraid you'll have to spend the rest of your life here serving me," came the voice that echoed through the metal door that slid closed behind his despicable body.

Anna ran towards the door and tried to pry it open, but to no avail. Frowning, angry, FRURIOUS; she kicked the door over and over again until her foot hurt and Yuan was there no more. Crying, she let herself plop down on the bed in the room. One thought came clear across her misery. She HAD to escape and warn the Chosen...

---

Raine made her little footsteps made the same amount of noise as the grass that was moving in the wind. Only in the summer wind could she be heard. Today, there was so much wind and clouds that it forced the entire group to stay and rest at the foothills of a bridge that began the trek towards the Hima region. Up ahead of her was the three-some group: Kratos, Lloyd, and Sheena. All of them were staying together, each one talking amongst themselves.

It was night. All of the light of the world was struggling to keep into existence until morning. There were slight flickers of lightning coming from the far northern regions, telling stories that a windstorm and a lightning storm will soon arise and wreak havoc upon them in the next coming hours of wee morning. Turning her head around, her grey hair making a very soft sound - almost inaudible, she saw Colette and Genis snuggling up towards the fire underneath a large fern that she thought was going to be enough protection for the coming rain. Kratos has stated that it will not protect them once the rains REALLY begin, but why would she believe that no good thief?

There! She was now closer than she had ever been before without Kratos's uncanny ability to tell that she was right there in the vicinity. (She had to tell herself constantly that no matter how much she wanted to dissect and examine the red headed mercenary's ears, she just couldn't do that. Still... it made her wonder as to how in the world he could HEAR so good! It was better than Colette's, and she was already turning into an ANGEL!) Up ahead were the three even closer to her sight. She could now see and kinda understand their emotional faces, even if she could not understand what they were saying.

Kratos was resting with his sword lying right next to him as the firelight danced with his clothing, creating shadows that covered up some areas, but revealed others. Sheena was right next to the fire, stirring from a little pot that was apparently steaming and tethering with some sort of food. A little... blue-tailed fox?!? There was a little fox right next towards that girl that just screamed 'examine me!', but she just couldn't do that right now. _Hmmm... wasn't that the thing that hopped from the cliffs high above us only earlier when she ambushed us?_ What was its name...? Oh yes, it was Corrine. What an odd name for a monster that was obviously picked up from the streets. Right next to Sheena, Kratos, and Corrine was none other than the red head's cousin, Lloyd. Being like the teenager he was, his head was resting amongst the fuzzy belly side of the 'dog', Noishe. (She also wanted to examine Noishe as well.) All three of them were talking about something...

Sheena opened her mouth and began to do some hand motions, and then she waved her arms up and down in a furious manner. Lloyd pointed and began to make his chest rise and fall with his mouth in a large grin. No doubt he was chuckling. Taking a look a Kratos - the man whom she really wanted to investigate - with her keen eye, she noticed that he was more or less sending his glances towards the area where the mountains were. Hima was in the general area where his eyes faced, but it was the back of the head so she couldn't see anything more than the tufts of his hair.

There! Lloyd pulled out something shinny! He waved it in front of Sheena's face, and they both began to laugh slightly before Lloyd grabbed Kratos's arm and pulled him off of the ground. (For cousins, they sure gave an air of affection more serious than just young teenager cousin and older teenager cousin. Kratos had to be about nine or so years older than Lloyd.) Though at first protesting, eventually the two managed to grab the mercenary off the ground and Lloyd made his elder cousin hold onto the shinny thing. He pulled back his arm and off it flew! Far far far...

Oh Martel! It was heading towards her!

With a rather large thonking noise, it rolled towards her lap: the sounds of Sheena and Lloyd running fast coming closer to her with each passing heartbeat. It was the large, crystal 'ball' (magitechnology) that was in Triet! They ARE thieves! Each and every single one of those three! She better go off and fire Kra-

"RAINE!" screamed Colette's voice in the background. "THERE ARE MONSTERS COMING!"

Making a gasp, she turned her head around to see Genis awake with Colette's chakrams out. There they were, ready to attack something that was coming... In front of her, the red glove of Lloyd grabbed the magitechnology ball from her lap as he turned around before giving any form of look. Kratos ran, his arm holding onto his sword, and Sheena followed behind. It wasn't a long distance, only about one hundred feet, but even then Kratos ran faster than she thought was humanely possible!

"Where, Chosen?" he began as Raine came back towards the camp. Kratos grew silent, as if he could hear something. Then with a swift turn of his head, he took a stare right at the forest that was behind them. "We have to go. Lloyd, get something extra that the Chosen can wear so she won't get sick in the rain. Sheena, make sure that we take only necessary items." With that, he grabbed the Chosen One's hands rather hard.

"What's going on?!?" Raine yelled.

"There are Desians out there right now." the red headed mercenary said in his commanding voice. "Come on, Chosen, we better leave right now, lest you get killed."

Raine turned her head to face Sheena, who was taking a look back at the forest and towards Lloyd. Raine noticed that she was arching her eyes and then pondering, but then Lloyd dragged her over towards Kratos. "Come on Sheena, we have to get going!"

"But those are not Desians out there Lloyd. You should know that 'cause of your fa-"

Lloyd's hand had covered Sheena's mouth as he stole a quick glance towards Raine, who was giving a glare back at him as she was getting ready to flee towards the northern area away from... _Not Desians? What does she possibly mean by that?!? Hmm... An how could Lloyd know about that... "Fa-"... "Fa-" what?!? The only things I can think up that goes with "fa-" are 'fairly', 'far', 'fair', 'father'..._

With a twist, she turned her head towards the rest of the group and bore her eyes straight into the mercenary man. There he was, making Lloyd wear a little cape and getting him ready to leave as fast as he could. She couldn't determine anything different that she has faced normally... but there was always that face of chum-chumminess that the teen had flashed towards that man over the pass days of traveling. It couldn't be possible. It couldn't be... right? There is no possible way to conceive at age seven! Kratos wasn't an elf or a half-elf, so he couldn't live that long... He **shouldn't** be able to! Unless... unless... he wasn't human! With red hair and red eyes with reflexes that seem to be superior to normal people... perhaps he was a DEMON!

There was not much time to think as Genis and Colette grabbed each others hands as well as holding onto Lloyd's. Since it was dark, it would be unwise to let go of each other's hands, or else they would be lost in the dark, and then they were doomed to get defeated, right?

---

The run took longer than he wanted because almost everyone was already tiring out by then. There was lightning flickering in the distance far behind them as the Chosen, Raine, Genis, and somewhat Sheena were panting. The mercenary listened towards the sounds that were coming into the area. Already there was a light drizzle, but he could hear the more serious downpours farther north. There were the tall faces of cliffs and mountains nearby, each one looming like castles with the flickering of lightning. He turned around to face his son, who was still looking about with the sky with wonder. After all, it was his first experience with viewing a thunderstorm up close and personal.

"Kratos," began the Chosen, "I don't feel quite so good right now. I think we should rest down somewhere really quick. Besides, you will get sick out in this stuff..."

His red hair rested damply among his head as the rain had battered it down towards something almost not as messy as normal. He turned his head around to face the girl, making sure that his voice stayed at a normal tone. "We cannot stop until we hit Hima, Chosen. If we try to stop at a cave nearby, then all we will get in return is cold air that will turn into snow and prevent us from moving further this season. If you wish to regenerate the world, then it would be best if you kept on going." Kratos knew that he had to make sure that the Chosen did not die, but he was certain that she was only feeling weak because her Cruxis Crystal was draining all of her energy into itself and converting her into a host body. Nothing to deal with the wet and the cold.

Hima... he really had to head towards the city that he avoided most of his life. It was best to hide his emotions even more. There was a long walk ahead of them, but it was nothing really for him.

As night was falling, he made sure that everyone was well, for they had to lose the Renegades. Personally, he did not want to fight them, mainly because if they did, then the Renegades could be blabbering out secrets that were best kept within the mouths of their bodies. Every once in a while he Fireballed the fire around the younger half-elf and the elder sister. Sheena seemed unfazed by the cold... at least until they were a mile away from the outpost town. There she began shivering, but not much else.

As the edges of the sun was beginning to rise high above the edge of the world, the tired group entered the small village that held an inn and a graveyard. Oh, and a shack, but not much else besides that. The whole group celebrated for it, mainy because they were all tired. Lloyd was celebrating because he was just dirty and he wanted a good bath to wash away the mud. Kratos was thinking along the same lines as well.

As they entered the inside of the inn, the sounds of the creaking wood filled the entire area. He turned around to face the others, who seemed more dead than alive right about then (except Lloyd). "We shall be spending the night and day here to rest. It will be best if we leave tomorrow morning, so relax as best as you can. This will be perhaps one of the longest rests you will have for a while in this Journey. Don't forget to stock up on weapons, goods, food-"

"Kratos Aurion?!? Is that really you?!? You haven't aged at ALL over these past fourteen or so years! UNBELIEVABLE!"

The red headed mercenary flung his head around. Right there was the old inn-keeper...

The only one who was still alive and knew about him and Anna because they both had almost resided in this inn so many years ago...

----------

_Retouched - [4.28.2009]_


	20. Chapter 20

_Angels of Cruxis  
By: Fehize_

_----------_

There was darkness filling in from the windows that showed the outside. It was beginning to cover the entire scenery of the world, casting everything into a deep darkness slowly. Despite the fact that the bright sun was soon to be rising over the mountain tops, there was a massive blizzard that was going to blow in within the hour. Everything seemed to be holding its own, personal breath as the smallest bits of ice began to fall down upon the ground. It was every winter that such weather hit the small outpost upon the mountain top, thus the citizens were used to it. Of course, inside the building that was the only major building in the town not worthy of being called a town, the darkness of winter was being repelled by the fire that was glowing from the fireplaces. Even then, the rest of the room was fading into dark: only the silhouettes of doors could be seen through the glinting of their metal handles.

The elder man was standing behind the edge of the receiving platform, healthy enough to stand up on his own because of the mountain air that fueled the area. He was wearing the simplest of clothing: a plain white cotton shirt and some dark brown overalls that seemed to have come from a nearby farm or two. There was the slightest bit of grey hair upon his head, all whipping and curling among his dark black hair. Everyone else was busy giving that man a certain stare, but he was the only one with the more or less mind set that stated that everything was normal.

Except it really wasn't.

The elder man nodded his head up and down before turning his head to face the entire crowd. The red headed man was standing right next towards the dark brown headed one, there were two white haired ones, and then one blonde and one black haired woman. It was quite a meeting once again. Inside, he smiled. How could he forget that crazy red-headed man who ran around with that GORGEOUS woman (well, she WAS!), bringing her presents and lots of beautiful objects. Not to mention that ADORABLE little kid! (Once, he played with the little one because the red head allowed him to with a watchful eye.) _Let see, sixteen years... That would mean that the brown headed one is... Lloyd! Ah! Look how much of a grown teenager he has grown into!_ He held up his little hand to face towards the group.

"Ah! Kratos Aurion! It's been so **long**! Where have you been, you little devil, you? My goodness! You are still holding up all of your muscles, I can see! Hard to believe you're already hitting... what? What was it..? Oh yes! About forty right now!!!" The elder man smiled as he saw Kratos's expression turn into pure shock and horror, kinda. He could still see that the old man was holding back emotions from the lovely ladies... Yah, he could imagine that he would have a fit too if someone claimed him a forty year old when he looked about twenty-seven or so. People might begin 'respecting' you 'cause you're an old man. "Seems you still have your sword skills about you! Of course, you style in clothing seems to have been lacking over the years. I can tell that you still enjoy that purple one. Remember when your wife made it and tried to stick it on you?!? Ohahahahaha! That was FUNNY! You were all running about, screaming like your son here-" he turned to face the teenager boy, who cringed, "when HE was trying to be potty-trained! It was all 'No, No, No, NO, Anna! No! I am NOT gonna get that on me!' and she was all 'YES YOU ARE, KRATOS AURION!'" The elder man laughed some more. It was a funny time, way back then. "And remember when she stuffed it down you and you eventually wore it, despite the fact that it was purple, and purple was a girl's color? Even then, that was the only color we had around here for dying, and despite being purple, you still look as whipper-snappery as you always were!!!

"Ah, yes. Good days, good days! Hard to believe all of that was sixteen years ago! So, what is Mr. Father doing here right now in Hima?" The elder man tilted his head sideways. (They were still staring at him with an expression that gave out a What-in-the-Goddessy-Hell mood...) "Thinking of that... where is your belle of a young wife? If she is like you, you know, getting your chromosomes all mixed up when you guys made little Lloyd-" the little white haired boy made a disgusted face. _What?!? It's NATURE'S course, and by golly, of any a man who needed to get laid in the world, it was CERTAINLY a serious little man called __KRATOS AURION!_"-she should still be nice and smexy looking..." Smexy! Ah! How he loved using that word. When ever he said 'smexy', Anna Aurion would slap him and the red head would be infuriated, but the little one would **laugh**, not knowing what the word played at! That in turn would make EVERYONE laugh and smile in the end.

Silence. There was silence at the very beginning after his little welcome speech. Maybe they were just too hungry to talk back right about then? "Ah! I have it! I'll go on ahead and make you a FEAST, Kratos! A feast enough for you and your little group! Still acting as a mercenary man with the lovely ladies... eh? What would your wife say about that, eh?" he muttered as he chuckled out towards the kitchen. Often, many years ago, Kratos once commented he was a crazy old man, but all he did was laugh at that. He was not old; he was seventy-five, WITH some of his natural hair color!!! Oh, well, Kratos was only more or less thirty years away from his age, so HAH! Wait until he turns FIFTY, and then we'll see who's crazy and who is not!

He wondered if the group would like fried chicken...

---

The silence stretched among the main room as the faces of almost everyone turned around to give a stare at Lloyd and Kratos. There was no more light coming down from the edge of the windows as the moon was covered by tons of clouds that were clearly out of sight at that current moment. Only the sounds of fire burning upon the logs in the fireplace could be heard. It seemed that the whole world was holding its breath for a tense few seconds... Right before the hurricane from the inside exploded...

"You're... Lloyd's FATHER?!?" screamed Raine, pointing her finger out at Kratos in a surprised state of shock. Colette was staring at both of them, her mind reeling slightly. _K... Kratos is Lloyd's father? Kratos is over forty, or about forty? He had a wife? Lloyd's mother? But Lloyd said she died... w-was... was he __**lying**__ to me...? That isn't normal! Unless Kratos is an elf... of a half-elf._ She turned her head back and forth to see the two groups looking at each other in the eyes.

There was Kratos: his sword was still in his sheath, so everything was not going to be hectic towards THAT point of disaster. Lloyd was standing next towards his... father, with a certain look upon his face that seemed to be something like little children do when then get caught and end up in trouble. Sheena was standing next towards Lloyd, he hands folded back towards the rear end: it seemed that that was a pose that she used often. Since she had good hearing, she heard the strange girl mutter over and over again: "Damn, damn, damn, damn!"

On the other side was herself, who was still pondering about everyone. Raine was there too, except she was giving the three on the other side a hate look. Genis... well, Genis was acting almost like Sheena. _Was this something he already knew? Lloyd seems to be more of a friend with him than me..._ The point was that there is now a division between them. It was one person pitted against another though: Raine against Kratos.

"Genis, please leave the area, AT ONCE!" screamed Raine. "Go towards your room, which is upstairs, as _Kratos_ and _Lloyd_ and _Sheena_ need to have a little chit-chat with ME!" Raine turned her head over towards Colette, who frowned in a scared position as she saw the flame and tenor in Raine's eyes. She was looking scary... "Chosen One! You need to go with Genis as well!"

Genis grabbed Colette's arm tight as he pulled her along to face the upstairs room as Raine followed them with her eyes all the way. The elven boy wrapped his arm around the doorknob with his hand and then closed the door behind them both. However, once they were inside, Genis turned his head as quick as a blur and gave her a solid look. "Colette, we need to hear what's going on down there! If Raine sent us up here, it is because she does not want us to hear, but it is our FRIEND that she is talking about! I know you can hear them, Colette, so PLEASE help me! I want to know what's going on!"

Colette nodded her head, which made her long blonde hair drape down among her shoulders right before she pulled them up again. "You are right! We need to find out about what is going on here for Lloyd's sake! I have overheard your sister talk about how she thinks that Kratos, Lloyd, and Sheena are in some sort of thief ring to go steal treasures within the Seals areas. If your sister is what I think she is about ruins and ancient treasure, then she might not give them the proper justice!"

Together, both friends hanged around each other, trying to pull in closer to hear. One could make out what was going on and resided the information towards the other: deciphering the speech that was rising out through the floorboards in minute whispers and yells. It was going to be one LONG night, but Colette did not mind at all. It sure did beat out thinking about her future of... regeneration, with no sleep able to take her mind away...

---

"All ALONG I KNEW something was going on between you two, ESPECIALLY since you two seem to be friendlier with each other than with us! SO, it is father and SON, eh? WELL?!?" she screamed at the top of her lungs, making her height to the most maximum. Raine prized herself on being a tall, almost half a head shorter than _Kratos_ himself! Now she was using such a height towards her advantage. "AND, _KRATOS!!!_" she began with a point. "It IS NOT **humanly POSSIBLE** for someone like you to give birth to someone like _him_," she pointed towards Lloyd before going back to _Kratos_, "AND not age a BIT! UNLESS YOU WERE A DEMON!"

"Watch it, Ruin Girl!" screamed the under dressed woman who called herself Sheena. "Lloyd aand Kratos sure ain't the HELL Demons from Neflim, so I would **watch your mouth**!" There was fire in her eyes, as well as anger. "How DARE you insult them!" she cried out as her hands went towards her hips. "They don't look ANYTHING like Demons, THAT'S for sure, and I have seen my few on Demons in my life!"

_That girl is either a Demon in cahoots with them, or a poor girl who was placed under a Demon Mana spell! How could one with red eyes NOT be a Demon?_ She very craft-fully placed her hands down towards her hips and raised her head. "Kratos Aurion! It seems like such a WASTE that your name was after a hero in the Kharlan War when you place scorn on such a treasured name! Such a thing is the closet thing towards_**blasphemy**_ against the Goddess Martel that I have ever heard!"

"Listen, YOU!" screamed Sheena even louder right about _Kratos _was about to respond. "Kratos IS the one fro-" Instantly, Lloyd's gloved hand grabbed Sheena's mouth as he muttered a no. There was a sense of recognition as the passing of information was sent from eye to eye, and then it was completed before she could get anything out of it. _"Kratos Aurion is Lloyd Aurion's father..." "Beware of him, for he is the God of War..." _Raine shoved such thoughts away from her, but they entered again. Could the stupid waste of Gald fortune teller be RIGHT? ACTUALLY _**RIGHT?!?**_

Kratos gave her the infamous look that still managed to make her seem like such a small and little half-elf: a person with no status and no respect. Or more like something far below him, a glare that she was always secretly afraid of, despite the fact that it was pretty much closer towards his normal look than anything else. "Listen, Raine, we are not Demons, or anything like that. We are here to help the Chosen on her path of the Journey of Regeneration, as that was what we were paid to do." He did not stress any sylabols, nor did he seem to sound angry, just annoyed, like a bird playing around with its prey before deciding to eat it. "It seems that this last escapade has made a certain amount of events known to you... Yes, I am Lloyd's father, but it seems you have thought elsewhere. To best be certain, we are something akin to elfs."

Raine felt a little bit stupid. She had never really thought about that. It could be that they were half-elfs, just like her and her brother. That might explain the fact that Kratos knew Mana and was... Lloyd's... father...

"Shit," she muttered.

With a cringe, she out held her hand. "Let's start over then. Hi, my name Raine Sage, and I hired you for protection against the Desians and monsters for the Chosen One's sake. Thanks for standing up against my stupidity for a mere moment, as I am sorry that I thought such things about you two..." _But that still leaves Sheena, and I STILL don't trust them. Sure, they MAY be half-elfs, but that doesn't make them any more LESS a thief than earlier. I'm STILL keeping my eyes on you, Kratos Aurion! Or my name isn't Raine Sage!_

Suddenly, there was a loud banging noise behind them as the old man who started everything came in. "Ah! It's nice to see that you are all playing along nicely! The feast is almost done, Kratos, so I suggest that EVERYONE comes down ready to EAT! I made yummy pudding and fried chicken for E-V-E-R-Y-O-N-E!!!" He turned around and headed towards the door, backing up towards the kitchen that was in the far corner.

"Cool! Time to eat!" screamed out Lloyd at an attempt to bring everything back to normal.

---

The dinner was set up around a large, wooden table. There were enough tables and chairs to be set up for everyone, and just enough room so that no one was bumping elbows into one another. The glow of pale white and pearl beeswax candles wafted around the area, mixing in with the scent of food that was making almost everyone drool down with delight. Almost everyone. Genis turned his head around to see that the only ones not making any sort of pleasured look towards the food was Kratos and Raine, who were still giving each other looks. And no, it wasn't _THE_ look, but it was an **evil** type of look. Well, that was to be expected after all... Come on! That meant that Kratos and Lloyd was holding something back from all of them!

The elder man was holding up a large wooden mug that was filled with some sort of tea-like substance. Genis knew that it was not ale or beer, but that still made him wonder over what it was. Besides, his mind was occupied with bigger things that he REALLY wanted to ask his friend. "A toast!" began the innkeeper. "A toast for the Chosen One on her Journey of Regeneration! May she be successful for our land and make sure that she never runs into Kratos while he's changin'!"

Lloyd, who was sipping on some raspberry tea drink, spat out some of it and gagged. He turned his head to face the inn-man. "Changin'?!?" Genis had to bug his eyes out a little bit as he turned around to face the strange man. His sister seemed to come in and listen intently, her ears straining to hear any little detail. _Uh oh... I think Raine might be setting up Kratos for blackmail..._In his mind, he sighed. _Raine..._

"Yup!" happily exclaimed the old man. Kratos was... holding is hand over his eyes and shacking his head back and forth! "Why, when he was here, there was this one time that Kratos came in from hunting and then Anna was all 'Kratos, honey-'" Lloyd AND Sheena gagged this time. "'-you might need to take a bath. Look at all the mud that you have on your clothes!'

"Weelllll... see here everyone. It had just rained for many days, so the entire ground was all muddy. I don't know about you guys, but even under the high summer sun did Kratos NEVER perspire! In fact, he was all suave with his red hair flicking back and forth, trying to act all tough for his new wife..." Genis blinked. That... didn't really sound like something Kratos would do... That seemed a little bit far-fetched, but whatever the case, when he turned around to face... Lloyd's dad, there was DEFINITELY some type of murder in those eyes! "Of, course, Miss Sage, we all know that men can never be all emo for all eternity!" the elder man continued, facing towards Genis's sister.

"Anyways, so he just came back with some meat and some nice goodies when his wife came out from behind the wooden barrel and threw a bucket of ice cold rain water on him! Well, he didn't scream or nothing, he just turned his head around to face his wife, but before he could respond back, she was getting on him like a mother to her child when she finds out that he was stealing some cookies that was meant to be her hidden desert snack!

"She said, 'Kratos! You better go take a bath RIGHT now! There is no WAY I am going to let you sleep in OUR bed if you stay all muddy like that!'

"He, of course, only frowned, but agreed to do it. So, he left from my sight of view as his wife went around the bend towards a different area. It wasn't until a few more minutes later that I realized that I had not boiled the water during lunch, so there was no hot water for the red head's bath! Being nearby winter, the water in the large rain barrel that was for bathing was FREEZING cold! So, me, being a good citizen-"

This was about the time when Kratos cut in. "I think that is enough. We all have to get ready to move out tomorrow, so-"

Genis saw the elder man's hand come out and slap Kratos's fist down. "RESPECT YOUR ELDERS!" Kratos once again gave a glare, but then that was interrupted when everyone else was trying to edge their bodies in closer to the elder man. After all, where else are they going to get stories like this?!? "Where was I...?" began the elder man as he was scratching his head. "AH!

"Like I said, _**I**_ was _only_ trying to be a good fellow citizen and help Kratos out. So, I took out the water from a nearby kettle and began to bring it up to heat. In the background, I could hear Anna yellin' all nice-like that Kratos BETTER be all squeaky-clean. It took only about a few minutes, so I was ready to go help Kratos out. As I arrived towards the door, I noticed that there was a shadow moving about underneath the door, so I thought 'Ah! He must still be getting the towels and such to get _ready_ to get undressed!'" Genis couldn't help but notice the twitch on Kratos's face. "So, NATURALLY, I went on ahead and threw the door open, comin' in with the kettle of steaming, hot water and was about to tell him that I was here to give him his water when I noticed that he was BUTT naked 'cause he JUST took his bath!

"Now, that was the WORST beating I have EVER received in my ENITRE life as he was trying to shove me out the door! It didn't really help much that his wife was walkin' by to see what the whole commotion was all about, so... Yup! That's THAT story! And to this VERY day I can STILL never find out as to why he was never sick from that bathing water. It must have been - what? - seventy or sixty degrees cold!"

Everyone burst out to laughing - well, except Kratos - and everyone felt like they were going to explode. It was a funny ending to the end of a hectic and crazy twenty-four hours. The blizzard was still sending its white furry outside, but inside, the warm glow of six people filled the area. Seven, once Genis noticed that the red headed mercenary flashed his son a small, yet warm grin.

_----------_

_Like stated before, some of the characters seemed over-the-line as I glance through this again. Alas, my old writing style...  
Fixed grammar errors; tried to ignore the want to rewrite the past few chapters entirely._

_Retouched - [4.28.2009]_


	21. Chapter 21

_Angels of Cruxis  
by: Fehize_

_----------_

It was the beginning of the night. Or at least, that was what the lights seemed to be doing within the blue and gold encrusted room. All over rested the massive amounts of gold that glinted in the very sparse amounts of lights that were coming in by the lights that were hanging around on the white and opal colored walls as well as indebted in the ceilings. The lights gave out a blue tint that was supposed to give a feeling of calm and serenity to anyone inside, but only the one inside could truly say what the color really did to that person. There was a bed with soft velvet the color of crimson, fating towards something that seemed surreal and unwanted. The 'carpet' down upon the ground was actually a soft blue stone tile. On the edge of the walls were many picture frames that showcased many different poses of a certain woman. She had long green hair tied back into a ponytail, all covered by a black and green hat that make her outlook seem quite cute. Her eyes were green-blue, like large pools - at least, that was what the artist intended. She wore a black and white with green, like her hair, colored outfit. It was actually a dress-robe, with little frills and designs covering the hems of a cloak that was covering the rest of her. On some of them, she was smiling, holding up a large vase of flowers. On other paintings, she was smiling again, except posing with either a background scenery or something like that. Upon closer inspection, each one had different titles that dealt with the subject of only one person... and that one person was dubbed 'Martel'.

Now, personally the fortune teller never really believe all that much in the 'Great and Powerful' Goddess that was forever dubbed 'Martel'. Why? Well, that was because of the fact that if she really DID exist, why the hell did she go on off and make Spirituia the ONLY successful Chosen? WHY? Her world was dying, and did Martel have FUN sleeping in La-La Land while her people died? Sometimes, she just wished she could just go on up and fortune tell if Martel was ever to be 'awakened', but all she gets is some cruddy vision of a flower and a tree. What the use is a tree for? Well... trees are nice...

_Ak! GET back on subject here, STUPID Anna! You need to figure out how the HELL to escape from this place! THINK!_ Frantically, she spun her head back and forth, the covering handkerchief on top of the head revealing hardly anything of what she looked like, except for her eyes. She was STILL furious at that man who called himself... No... He WAS a killer of the Chosen! Welll... might be killer. And most certainly she was NOT going to let that happen! It was a fact that the Journey of Regeneration made for Mana to come back into her land... but Martel was a FARSE! That was perhaps all she was, and all she WILL be!

Yet those pictures... Those pictures seemed to be something quite intriguing... Why, she couldn't exactly place her mind on it. Pacing back and forth, she knew she had to think of something. Now, it was already a week or more or less a week since she has been stuck inside this horrible place. (Not exactly doing really good things with her inner conscious, you know... Mind you, it was minute things, like... TRYING TO GET THE HELL OUT OF THIS TOMB!) So far, this is what she has managed to achieve in noticeable status that she minded herself as important to her well-being...

1.) She managed to foretell Yuan's schedule. (Son of a Bio-tch, she SWEARS!) His schedule was:  
12:01 AM - 6:00 AM - Think about mobilizing his Renegade troops to do something.  
6:01 AM - 7:00 AM - Study his Mana screens to make sure where his troops are  
7:01 AM - 9:00 AM - Torture Anna by making sure that she cannot escape by keeping/switching the guards by the door, and then making the guards give her the daily meal. Following that, make sure that no one KNOWS that she is there.  
9:01 AM - 12:00 PM - Watch his troops and try (with no avail) to get Anna to give him a fortune. (Damn him!)  
12:01 PM - 3:00 PM - Go off and make sure that he has enough Gald to support for his place.  
3:01 PM - 4:00 PM - Try again at Anna, except this time get cussed out by Anna...  
4:01 PM - 6:00 PM - Rummage around and do some random things that are not important to her health...  
6:01 PM - 9:00 PM - Dress up and change... And then command his troops around in his head for tomorrow's misadventures.  
9:01 PM - 12:00 AM - Do some more random things that are not really important, like trying to check upon the Chosen

2.) Apparently, Yuan did not need any sleep, whatsoever, so he MUST not be anything human...

3.) Her food was always the same gruel, served in on a large sheet of black cloth that could cover her entire body. This was to make sure that she couldn't see who was serving her, so she couldn't escape by using her 'feminine powers' against those who were serving her.

4.) Yuan was now gone away for some sort of important mission towards the far northern areas of Sylverate. Which was good and bad at the same time. On one hand, it was good because this was the opportune time to escape. On the other hand, it was bad because he was heading towards where the Chosen was at.

5.) There was a LOT of silver cloth everywhere because of the color-scheme (you never know! There could be one day when they give her a window and she could escape by tying the ends of those threads together!) and they were insulating cloth for those days when Yuan decided that it was best to leave the magical cold air inside at some REALLY cold temperature...

6.) The underside of her red velvet bedding was green. WHO in the right mind had the color scheme of a room like an ocean, but have the interior decor of a forest burning down? (And a healthy forest at that!)

7.) There was no one going to come down in and rescue her. Not that that was of any surprise because of the fact that she was abducted by what SEEMED to be Desians, when they really were not. Of course, it still did nor make any much sense now the difference between them both... That is, unless one begins to think about how these Renegades did not own Human Ranches...

It was a sad sight to see her pacing back and forth between the two blue columns. She had no idea what to do then, and she BADLY wished that she could be able to see her own future. Then, at least she would be able to understand what she could be able to do to escape! Furiously, she racked her head against the post, thinking about empty thoughts that did not come; thinking about means of escaping! What could she do?!? What CAN she do?!? Hell, if ONLY she was Martel, granting she exists!

Suddenly, she turned her head over towards the pictures hanging there on the wall, acting all innocent and peaceful, acting as if there was an air of affection... There was something important about these pictures that she needed to take into place. After all, these were not the pictures of Martel that she knew...

As the fortune teller looked straight into such pictures, she realized that the women in them looked about twenty-one or so, was about covered up in clothing that no one could really tell what she looked like underneath, and that she was about the same height as the brown haired woman... Now that she thought about it, these are the only few pictures that are in the form of Martel without winged angels following her every step...

An idea hit her right away, and she smirked as to the stupidity of Yuan to leave her in a room filled with paintings of a 'Goddess' and cloths. It seemed almost as if he thought she had no brain! Well, desperate people make for desperate choices, and BOY was she desperate! Right in front of her rested the most dangerous and most crazy plan that she ever had to pull off... As she began to pull the last strands of the plan into her mind, she thought half-mentally to herself. For some reason, she does really rash things when she has something bad happening... very rebellious things that often scare her...

But this idea was far too good for doubts! And it was the only possible time that she could do this! She knew for a fact that Yuan had not told the other guards who she was, but once they found her, her chances of slipping past them were zilch!

Digging into her gem pouch - the only thing that Yuan did not physically take away from her - she managed to fish out some nice looking diamonds that was payment from the people in Triet. They were not the sharpest things in the world, as they were not cut to be so, but it seems like they would do! Hurriedly, she ran over towards the only door that was able to get in. Once, there was some sort of thing called a keypad. On this keypad, there were a series of numbers that she had to push down, and thanks towards her inner-sight, she managed to see that the numbers were 9-8-3-4-6-0-8-1. (Thank goodness for the magical powers of the past!) Those were the precious numbers to open the door, but since the keypad was covered up by some sort of metal, she needed to scrap it all off! Grabbing down onto her diamond, she ran and began to dig it into the metal sheet, making sure not to damage the precious thing underneath it.

---

Lloyd Aurion was his name, and boy, was he happy he could run up towards his dad and get fuzzed on his head every time! Alright, so maybe his father did not exactly do those things all the time, but at least now he could do it out in the public.

It was late in the afternoon, and the blizzards was still going on outside, but it was slowing dawn. According towards his father, the storm should end within the next five hours, but by that time it would already be night. They couldn't exactly go on ahead and leave the general area because it would be nightfall, and by then Sheena, Raine, and Genis would be too tired to do anything. Sometimes, he wondered why Colette wasn't tired, but then he had to remind himself that she was becoming into angel and she would have no need for rest. He sighed as he turned around to face the outline of his best animal friend protozoan, Noishe!

He was whining, without a doubt, and was trying to fuzz up gently towards the face of the brown headed teenager. The fur of the animal was smooth to the touch, but it was a faint and far feeling. Sometimes, he could feel Noishe, sometimes he could not. It was always nice to feel the soft fur, even though the whine was loud enough to make it sound like a scream in his ears. It was ok: he was used to it by then. "So, Noishe! What do you think about that story last night? Sure was as funny as hell, huh? Isn't that right Noishe?" 'Funny as hell' was Sheena's point of view about it, so he used it as well. "Still..." Even though the story itself was funny, it made him think about the mother he could never remember really well.

"Lloyd?" came a voice form the outside. It was a quiet voice that reminded him of Genis, in fact, that was probably who it was to begin with. Lloyd's half-elf friend was outside to begin with, walking down the stairs of the inn. Even though he couldn't exactly see him yet, the steps could easily be heard coming down. There they were, the small and light pitter-patter of feet as they were trying to keep warm from the cold that was trying to snake its way in like tendrils during the spring. After some time, Genis was behind the brown headed teen, so Lloyd decided to turn around and give his friend his undivided attention.

"Yah, Genis? What's up?"

There was some silence for a while as the wind outside was wailing back and forth. Snow could he heard crunching on the outer walls and window panes, morphing in with the small whines of the green and white protozoan. Genis's hair was standing up as he turned his ehad around to face Lloyd. However, instead of the usual child-like expression, there was only the face that showed worry and... slightly hurt? That sure confused him! "Lloyd, could we talk in the back shed? Somewhere where no one else can hear but us?" For some reason, when Genis meant 'no one else', he has this inner gut telling him that what Genis was pointing at was Colette and his dad.

"Sure, I don't see why not..." began the brown headed teen as he made his body head over towards the door that led towards the shed. Normally, the shed would have been colder than the rest of the inn, but since it was already enveloped in feet of snow, the snow outside was acting like an insulator. Not that the cold really mattered to the teen, but Genis didn't seem to mind either.

Inside the small little shack were lots of logs. Such logs were the items that kept the fires going on at nights, allowing the inn to stay warm on nights such as these. Right now, they were brown and freshly cut: except for the other ones that were resting down on the bottom. Those were turning pale and dry, perfect burning objects. "Lloyd..." began the white-haired half-elf. "Kratos is your father, right?"

Lloyd titled his head, pretty sure that this conversation was going to head towards a point that called for some serious thinking and covering of his words. Sure, he did not want to lie to his friend, but his father _strictly_ implied that he should at the very LEAST keep information about Welgaia to a minimum. (Minimum meaning that there should be NO talking about it whatsoever!!!) "Yah, sure he is! I mean, he's the only father I have and... yup." That was the best way to state the answer. There wasn't really much of another way to do it, mainly 'cause the question was basically one of the most straight forward things you could ask.

"Lloyd, what's your favorite color?"

"Hmm... I guess it has to be red! I really do love the color red!" He did, you know. Red was the color of his dad's hair, the color of his current clothes, the color of his dad's most awesome sword; the color of his first Summon Spirit!

"How about your favorite food?"

"Pudding. I just LOVE pudding." Pudding tasted great, and it was one of the few things he could taste.

"How about most hated food?"

"TOMATO!" Lloyd cried out. GOSH, out of all the things in the world, **that** had to be one of the worst. Even his dad admitted that tomato was the scum of the Universe... (Seriously. Who would have thought that an inanimate object such as a red fruit would make his dad say something like that. It was also probably one of the few things that were red that he despised... Why, oh why, could he taste tomato?!?)

"What do you like to do at night?"

"Eh, I like viewing the stars at night. They are really fun."

"During the morning?"

"Hanging out with my dad!" happily exclaimed the brown head.

"Do you like Colette?"

"She's nice."

"How about my sister?"

"... Scary."

"Sheena?"

"BEST BUD! Ah, right next to you, Genis!"

"Corrine?"

"Fluffy."

"Kratos?"

"Daddy-like."

"Me?"

"A good bud that likes to share the same interests as me!" Genis smiled at that.

"Did you like the way Iselia looked like?"

"It was really pretty... and colorful. It was a bit too noisy however."

"Noisy?"

"Yah, my ears are really sensitive, so loud noises hurt me."

"How about the desert?"

"Hated it. Louder than Iselia, and so much sand particles it hurt!"

"Izoold?"

"That fishing port? I loved playing in the water!"

"How about rainy days? Do you like rainy days?"

"Hmm... cant say I have yet to run into one yet."

"You haven't ran into a rainy day...?"

"Hmm... nope! Not that I can remember."

"Worst thing in the world?"

"A circus show."

"Circus show?"

"Don't ask..."

"Most annoying person?"

"Eh. That's easy. Yggdrasil."

"Hn?"

"Annoying blonde dude. I don't think he likes me much."

"Sure, Lloyd. So, what are you doing here with your dad?"

"Taking care of the Chosen."

"Why?"

"To make sure that she unleashes all the seals."

"And your dad?"

"To help. And watch over me."

"How old are you?"

"Eighteen."

"Your dad?"

"Four-thousand two-hundred and twenty-eight."

"What?!?"

"No, really. My dad's four-thousand two-hundred and..."

Lloyd stopped himself and gagged. Right then and there he gave away his father's age. Now is the best time for a Sheena curse! _Damn, damn, damn, damn! NICE going, Lloyd! Why not tell him what Welgaia looks, like for crying out loud!_ He gulped. "Ah..."

But Genis was already thinking out loud. "If your dad really in four-thousand two-hundred and twenty-eight, then that means that he has been around since... Since the time of the end of the Khlaran Wars! Kratos... Kratos... Kratos, Mithos, and Yuan! Three of the heros who saved the world when the Kharlan War was killing the Great Tree. Kratos... Aurion... Lloyd Aurion... Kratos Aurion... the human who helped alongside Mithos, the greatest swordsman of them all! .. Seraphim: angels who work in deliverance with the Goddess Martel herself and are the highest order of angels. Immortal, ageless... the Perfect Beings! Angels with translusive wings, just like the great Goddess herself!

"Lloyd! You're a Seraphim! Kratos is a Seraphim?!? You've both seen Mart-"

"No, Genis, no!" hissed the teenager as he threw up his arms in shock. "If you say anymore, I might have to do some stuff I may not like!" Rule number one of Cruxis: If anyone outside of Cruxis's Seraphim know about the whole truth of Cruxis - or anything even CLOSE - then that one person must die or else Cruxis would have to end answering some questions that would be best unanswered. Sheena was an exception, mainly because Kratos... What was Kratos's reason to keep her alive. Now that he thought more of it, the more and more that he realized that Sheena was SUPPOSED to be killed! No! But she wasn't... or at least... not now...

"What do you mean by that, Lloyd?"

Lloyd shook his head. He didn't want to kill - or his dad to kill - his friends. "No more, Genis. Even though I hate to say this...

"As a Holy Seraphim of the Goddess Martel, I order you to never say a word of this... again," commanded the brown head in his most regal voice. However, before Genis could be upset or scared, Lloyd deflated. "Oh, come on, Genis. Let's just keep it secret or my dad would be pissed."

Genis smiled. "I can do that!" he cried, making out a 'V' shape with his two fingers after jumping up right into the air.

---

Raine was tossing and turning in her bed. Once of the most major reasons was because she just could not get any sleep right now. Though the outside world may be dark and white because of the blizzard, her insides were still thinking it was time to stay away doing something. _It must be because my internal body clock still says that I am still somewhere in Iselia time..._ Sighing she pulled out a sketchpad from underneath her pillow and began to re-take down notes. There was some light coming down in from the few candles that she had lit. Turning her head, she pushed aside some of the messy white hair that resided there. Her eyes managed to pick up the look of Genis's head, who was fast asleep underneath the covers, only the tip of the large cranium was able to be seen. He had gotten in bed later than normal, so she was sure that his small body needed rest.

Turning back, she faced her notebook that was filled with numbers and figures. Tomorrow, she will take advantage of the walk away from the mountain and quiz the children about some more knowledge of the area they are about to hit. But on top of that was more important news that deemed to be noticed. Such news was the fact of discovering who exactly WERE the Aurions.

Earlier that afternoon, she hovered around the elder inn-keeper and managed to get... not much. He claimed that he was too tired and sleepy for anything right then, and "Besides, why do you want to know so much about Kratos anyways. Like him or something?" My, did that offend her. Like him?!? The no good thief who... ARG! EVIL bastard! She can't be kidding herself like this! He's E-V-I-L!!!

Taking a long glance at the twentieth page of her notes, she realized that there was just no way that Kratos and Lloyd could have been half-elfs. Sure, at the heat of the moment, she wanted to believe in that tale, mainly because that would mean that there were still half-elfs that at least were not Desians... But then, about an hour later, she thought about the Mana signatures that resonated from them. They were far too strong to have come out from humans swallowing an Aionis (and besides, Kratos was Lloyd's father! How could someone looking as young and... 'handsome' as him be a father of someone as old as Lloyd and not have strands of grey... Or wrinkles?!? Not human there!), but were different from the elf-side. Of course, it wasn't such a drastic difference either. It was more subtle and discrete... like some sort of grey mist that has been hiding through their fingers... Almost like Kratos is _willing_ his body to hide everything he has... Of course, that's highly unreasonable because the amount of Mana one would need to have to be able to HIDE such amounts of Mana could only come from two types of things... Angels... or Demons...

Demons, that just had to be it! There could be no way that Kratos was an angel (no wings, hello!), nor Lloyd (ditto with the wings). Demons had no wings, and they also had that cold look in their eyes like Kratos does. Not to mention that Kratos also still had red eyes! (How common is that? Come on, not even the ELVES had red eyes!) Lloyd looked more human that Kratos did, but what about when the teen gets older? Or maybe that just isn't his true form? Maybe, those forms that call themselves Kratos and Lloyd are **truly** not what the look like. Powerful demons are allowed to change shape and make themselves adaptable like regular humans; powerful demons can also have Mana amounts such as the ones from ancient wars that pitted Upperworld against Nefhliem. That could mean that Kratos... and Lloyd... they have the capacities to destroy them and kill the Chosen, thus leading the world to utter chaos, and in such chaos... Demons will appear and take over the world!

No! There was no way she was going to let that happen to her world, and Genis's world! The world needed to be save for others! She needed to make herself know some Light based moves, yes, that was what she needed. When the time is right, she would have to help save the Chosen and help save the world! And that Sheena girl... she must be held under some sort of hard spell... When she trains her body to unleash magic, she will make sure that that poor girl is saved... somehow.

However, for now she was going to need to have more evidence. First thing was first, there was no way that Colette or Genis were going to believe her hypothesis. As it was, there was very little evidence to go on with just Kratos. Being logical, she also had to think of a reason as to why a Demon like Kratos would go off and have a child from a human woman? Was she under some sort of spell as well? That Anna woman... must have been... Would that mean that Lloyd was some sort of half-breed as well? A half-demon? Was that even a race? Was it a new race? Everything just didn't really make much sense now that she thought more and more of it...

Demons was a possibility, but as she sat down and pondered, making her head think over and over again, the more she saw how horrid her train of thought was. Everything was coming off of speculations. Sure, the odds of them being demon were 'high', but they could also be some new race that she has never heard of.

Whatever the case, thieves still seemed like a great option to turn to if the other paths seemed unwise unless some more information is to be brought up in the coming future. Of course, just to be safe, she is still going to practice some more Light moves...

---

Kratos held onto his son, who was resting his head against the older parent's shoulder. Lloyd managed a small yawn - a yawn that cried out he was bored.

Outside, there was the silence that was soothing to the ears. No longer was there the wail of snow crashing down on top of one another, allowing for such a cry that made Lloyd slightly crying every once in a while. Now, there was just silence, like every time after a major snow storm. Thoughts of his wife, his wonderful dead wife, danced around in his mind as he stared out the window, taking a long look at the stars that hanged out in the high heavens. A heavenly place that was beyond the world of Welgaia, the world where Lloyd grew up and knew from the beginning that he was something important. The color of blue reflected off in the night sky, coming from the snow that rested down upon the ground. There was still plenty of snow to go around, but they would have to trek through it to reach the Tower of Mana anytime before the next storm.

"Dad?" questioned the young teen who was sitting up. "Umm... How did you... meet mom?"

The red headed man rested silent like the outside for a while. His mouth was not set in a frown, but inside he was frowning. Not because of unrest due to the question that his son asked, but because of those traitorous thoughts that resided in his head whenever the word 'Anna' was used. Lately, they have been arriving more and more: each one more dangerous and more daring than the last. Right after the last story, he had such a memory that he had to stop and stay alone for a while.

After the moment of silence, the adult turned around to face the younger teenager. He was about to respond when he noticed some sort of movement far on off into the night. Right there was some large shadow, heading closer. Making a harder look outside the frost covered window, he realized that something was wrong. "Lloyd, stay here. I'll be right back."

Leaving his confused son, the mercenary heard the sounds of his feet crunching on the snow. It was not loud for he had already learned how to make his noises to a most minimum while walking instead of flying, but it still was audible for someone like him. The great sky above hovered over him like a dome: the lights were blinking like as if they wanted to talk about something important. Making his eyes watch over towards the area where the shadows were, he noticed that they were no longer there. But he was positive something was going on...

As if from some answer from someplace higher than Cruxis Serpahim, a slight - the slightest of movement - far on off revealed the shadow to be a group of people and men...

Renegades.

_----------_

_Retouched - [4.28.2009]_


	22. Chapter 22

_Angels of Cruxis  
by: Fehize_

_----------_

There was the mad crunching of snow as the stars pulled high up among the zenith of the heavenly sky. They great heavenly bodies themselves were glowing and glittering back and forth, making no noises, but shinning the world that was being lit by only a small, crescent moon that was hanging as if suspended by a small and invisible thread. The moon, called Teth'alla by this world, rested bright and white, just like a large glowing marble with an internal light, or an exsphere with a fire that glowed within. From high up, it was obvious that there existed a different world called Derris-Kharlan, but because of the masters of optical illusion, there was just an empty black field with dots and a marble. Down below, resting on the ground that turns into flowers and sweet smelling objects in the spring, lie field and mountains of the purest snow. They glinted in the little light, making for such a bright sparkle that it cast rainbows on top of one another.

Cutting across the snow, a man ran with utmost silence, yet with masterful precision and holding onto a deadly glare. The distance was not far, thus the figure that melted with the night managed to reach the inner workings of the wooden built inn that was the only main building around. Remains of an elder building perhaps sixteen years old remained off towards the side - a home that once existed to the prize and joy of a new family. However, as time would do too many things, the home was destroyed, and only the foundations still touched the white, winter surface.

Now, the figure - a lone dot in the middle of the frozen world - shoved open the door that made the only entrance. Though the snow was covering the back side of the inn, the front door was spared because of the fact that the wind was blocked by the side where the logs were being stored. The figure ran inside the heated reception room of the wooden building and then ran up towards the sleeping quarters of the others. Running up the stairs, one could see the red hair that was gently reflecting in the moonlight that spilled through the windows.

The noise created by the opening of the door 'caused for the movement of a certain room of towards he right of the mercenary man. The brass knob, usually glinting slightly in the morning light, turned in a circular fashion as the crack from the door formed. Out stepped a white shoe, a very small shoe, and then came out the rest of a certain girl's body. Her white outfit with the black undershirts were still there, made to protect herself from the cold. The blonde hair fell down towards her back as she turned her head to face the red head. It was none other than the Chosen One - the third person who was not asleep at this time.

"Kratos!" she began, stunned and shocked over the commotion that was beginning to be aroused. "What is going on? Why do you have this certain look-" Before the child could continue, the red head grabbed her by the arm, forcefully. There was no time for the girl to resist, nor take up her things from within the room.

"We have to go, Chosen. Desians have followed us towards this place and wish to kill you," commanded Kratos in his usual tone. There were no signs of stress or worry, but within, he was thinking about how many soldiers were hanging around out there. Could there be enough for all of them to defeat? Defeat without the two angels having to resort to more... specialized spells that would lay waste for the rest of Hima? A deep pain still resided within the man as he thought of this mountain outpost. _Anna..._ cried the voice in his head as he shoved it away. But then another voice came up, a much different voice... _Lloyd! What if the Renegades happen to hurt Lloyd! I promise, if there is but one small __scratch__ down upon his body, I'll destroy every last one of them!_ Of course, the matter that he had to destroy most of them for the protection of the Chosen One did not cross his mind for a second...

Kratos ran down the hallway, reaching forwards towards the first room that held the two half-elfs. Reaching for the knob, he realized that the whole door was locked away. The Chosen One frowned as she had a worrisome thought upon her head. "Kratos, it's locked! Please, Professor!" she then began to scream out. "Please! Open the door!" There was not much of a response, but then the Chosen cried out. "Oh, Kratos! Raine and Genis complained that they were so sleepy last night, so they must be sleeping heavily! What are we going to do? We need to-"

Before she could finish her sentence, Kratos threw up his leg and kicked the wooden door open. Little pieces of wood flew like floating dust as the rest of the door slammed down into the floor. Inside, Raine threw herself up from the bed, looking at Kratos with a scared and frightened look of pure terror and horror. "YOU-!!!" she began, but then the red headed man hastily grabbed her hand as well.

"Raine! We need to leave and get out of here! The Desians have come for the Chosen's life, and we have no time. Get all of your necessary items and get ready to leave!" He turned his head around and stared straight at the sleeping form of the younger half-elf. "Wake your brother as well! We have **no** time!"

With his feet racing down the wooden steps, the swordsman ran right into the same area that his son was. Already his son was walking around - no doubt because of the fact that he had heard everything - with a serious expression upon his face. Right next to him was Sheena... but she had no look of dire need. In fact, she was rubbing her eyes, slightly looking tired, but there were no signs of panic upon her face. Yawning a bit, she mumbled out some audible words, "What time is it?"

Lloyd ran up towards his father. "Dad!" he cried out, already dropping down the words that were meant to keep everything hidden. Whatever the case, it didn't really matter much at all. "I can see them outside! They are coming closer!"

This was when everyone got into a mighty frenzy... except Sheena, who was racing towards the window to take her own personal peek, along with her little blue tailed fox. Kratos could hear exactly what they were saying, despite the fact that they were whispering. "Do you think that the Renegades will attack us, Corrine?"

"Nuh uh, Sheena! We two together make an unstoppable team!"

"Hush, Corrine! Don't forgot that Lloyd and Kratos can hea-"

Despite that he knew he had to listen to them for what they had just said, the red headed mercenary grabbed tightly onto the blonde Chosen's hand. "Listen everyone!" he said as he made his voice run through the entire building. "We have to leave right now! Everyone pack things up for food and get some winter clothing. I will be taking the Chosen towards the far end of the snowy side of this mountain through a short-cut. Everyone else, move away from the Desians, else they would kill you as well. We will all together meet up in Luin, understand?!?"

"NO!" screamed out Raine, who was already dressed into her regular attire; angry and infuriated. "NO, Kratos! There is no way we should split up! There are too many monsters out there, and I DARE not allow you to go around with Colette _unattended_! We need to stay together!"

It was at this moment that the elder man ran into the room. Inwardly, Kratos was cursing. Out of all of the luck for today...? "Listen all of you young whipper snappers! You better listen to Aurion here. Don't worry about me, I'll be just fine, thank you very much! I've taken on more men before in MY lifetime! But I suggest you do the same. With all of this snow around, your tracks would be easy to find, and if you travel in a group, then when you get caught by those Desians... Well, it'll be all for one, eh? I can lead you around, but my joints have gotten to old for that, yes, yes it has... Besides, NO ONE here is better than Kratos around Hima and the general world area. My goodness... when he was here-"

"ENOUGH! Come on, we have to go! At once!" ordered the red head as they all scurried out of the area. _Hmm... If they Renegades are here, they will be wanting to go after the Chosen... If Lloyd stay with me, he could get hurt, evne if he is strong. If we split up for a moment, then he will get to be safer than hanging around with the Chosen and myself... But... Lloyd..._ Part of him said that it would be better, and safer, for them to momentarily split up until they receded away from the Renegades grasp, but another part of him said that he didn't want to leave his son. But he had too, for a few days. He did not want Lloyd hurt - forget the Chosen here! - at ALL! _Anna... what would happen if our son gets killed because those numbers out there are not in our favor. Going Seraphim isn't the right way either... that is one of the really last things I would want..._

No doubt, Lloyd was already giving a look at Kratos that said that he did not want to leave his father, but Kratos gave a firm look back. Lloyd could NOT get hurt. He would never forgive himself if his son was - as it was, those childhood mishaps still dwell down upon him. "Alright, everyone move out and follow me. We will leave out of this building together... and I want Lloyd, Genis, and Sheena in one group-"

With this, Raine interrupted. "You mean I am going to go with you?" She seemed fazed, slightly, that she was going to be traveling with him. Personally, the red head would have much rather go on alone and tear each and every last Renegade for past reasons, but he had a job... And that job was sent by Mithos himself to escort this Chosen. After all, she was the one most closest to be in Mana-Sync with Martel... _Hmph. Like Anna, right? Just like how she was the closest one to be the host for Angelus Project, right? It just so happened that she turned out to be your lover, right? Whose side are you on, Kratos? Are you really in all the way for Cruxis, or your son...?_

"Yes, you are traveling with us for healing purposes. Come on!" he argued as he grabbed tighter onto the arms of the others. "Alright, then," he continued, heading over towards the rest of the crew as they were already ready to head on off towards the door. "Everyone, split up right now after a few miles, **understand**. And no, Lloyd, I will not let you go towards Luin with us." It pained him inwardly to say such a thing, but he just had to do it. "You need to stay and watch over Sheena and Genis, understand?" He knew that Lloyd was sulking, but that was just how things had to be.

"Don't forget! Here are your goodie bags!" screamed out the elder inn keeper who - mentally in Kratos's head - was going to need to die a horrible death sometime in the near future for exposing those... past moments or sheer embarrassment. Who would have thought that a man like him could have ruined his outward appearance so easily? The elder man was walking among them, keeping a look among the outer window for any more signs of the now-advancing Renegades. It was just a deep load of trouble, you know...

As the group of people ran out into the night, Kratos made sure that their tracks were covered from being tracked by making Genis cover it with his ice abilities. That way, no footprints would be able to be detected as they were traveling within a group. The outside world of blackness and stars was something quite silent for an area about to be ambushed by hoards of 'Desians'. Mentally telling himself which way to led, he eventually stopped at a crossroad that was only known to him.

All around were families of trees - black and looming shadows over the rest of the human/angelic bodies - that were making the whole horizon dark. Any trails in here would be impossible to see in the night, thus they could get a head lead start by a whole night. On top of that, he was sure that the Renegades would not follow them for such a far distance or else they would be in risk of getting located by the real Desians. It was there that the red headed mercenary made everyone come to a utter and complete halt and made it for everyone to get into their according groups. "Sheena, Genis, and Lloyd: you have to head northeast to cross through the forest. It's the hidden path that... I know of." Secretly, inside his head he was thinking of the days when him and Anna traveled around and searched this forest in the summer time. "Raine, the Chosen, and I will be traveling through this other path." He turned to face his son, worry beginning to slightly fill in him like a poisonous seed that was making everything seem... tense. It was a feeling that the red head was certainly not used to feeling so often.

Lloyd was frowning, but they all got into their according areas and managed to pull themselves into their respecting areas. Kratos rested his hand on his son's shoulders and pointed towards a small path that was usable until the snow melted... Or unless you were a Seraphim with beyond regular seeing, like Lloyd just so happened to be. "Lloyd... listen," he muttered as soft as he could to make sure that not even the Chosen could overhear. "I don't want you hurt, so please go down this path."

Lloyd gave his father a reassuring grin. "Don't worry dad! I'll be the leader from now on for these two! We'll be fine, and I betcha I'll beat you all the way to Luin, too!" Inwardly, there was a quick thought that surfaced when Lloyd said the words 'betcha' and 'Luin'. First of all, it seemed that Lloyd was getting used to the regular words of slang here in the world... Second of all... Luin... was where... Anna...was...

"Come, Chosen and Raine," he commanded as he led the way into the darker end of the forest. Their path was to head down towards the southeast, which would then latter turn northeast. Using this path, it would take about a week to reach Luin - only a few hours by merely flying.

---

Lloyd was leading the way, and BOY, was it cool! MAN, being leader for a group was just of the best things in the whole WORLD! Yah! Here he was, with his best buddies, and MAN, was everything all nice and dandy!

Currently, the world was dark, filled with no sounds except for them as the groups feet began to crunch down upon the snow and twigs and ice. On one hand, he was with his buddies, on the other, he was already missing hid dad. It was quite common, actually, to be missing his father whenever his father had to leave. Very common. Often, a tactic that usually worked, was to start thinking different thoughts. Like... pudding. Pudding was a great thing to eat, and Noishe had to agree. Then again, so was learning some more hard core Mana spells... _Hmm... let's see... Photon, Ray, Holy Lance... Lightning, Thunder Blade, Indignation, Lightning Blade... Super Lightning Blade... Icicle, Ice Tornado... Ak... Note to self. Teach self the next level spell after Ice Tornado... Wait.. No... Teach self ice moves under the Strike for ice._ Then there was combos, such as Shooting Star. In truth, it was one of him more favorites because of the fact that it was... well... painful. Oh, but his most favorite one was the one where both him and his dad both worked together.

It was silent yet again, which was rather... odd. Not even Genis was making any noise. Lloyd frowned inwardly slightly. He knew that he was taking this whole thing like a game, and not at all serious in any manner, shape, or form, which was, as his father once stated, dangerous and will cause into problems later in the future. Mentally, he chastised himself for being so out of it for a while. Wasn't it only a little while ago when he used to be kinda like his dad? Now he... is... a bit more... like humans... In the way they act, at least. (Which, in fact, was rather odd for him to feel and experience.)

"Hey, everyone... Why are you guys so... quiet. I mean, Sheena," he began, point his head towards her in order to see her better. "What's with your face? You look really sad and everything!" She really was, you know. Her black hair was falling down over her face, making her everything above the mouth un-seeable and almost as black as the world around her. Well... okay, so that was sort of like a lie. Lloyd knew he could see her very well even though it was dark. Anyways, she seemed really upset about something. As he turned his head over to face his other buddy, Genis, he noticed that he was busy looking up at the trees.

"What's wrong Genis?" questioned the Seraphim.

"I... I just don't enjoy the dark, that all, Lloyd. I mean, everything is all so... quiet... and spooky... and..." Lloyd noticed that his buddy's voice was quivering at the end. Was his buddy scared... easily? That was rather odd, considering that Genis could burn everything down in plane sight by using his moves, such as Eruption and other second-class spells like that. Why would he be scared of the dark then?

Sheena then lifted her head up and smiled at Lloyd. "You know, Lloyd. You really were a great friend for all of us. But I have to agree with Genis here... It really is dark!"

Using her crafty fingers, she pulled forth one of her infamous fire cards and then began to bring forth, through the Mana in the card itself, fire to light up a small stick of bundled wood. "Here you go, Genis! All nice and bright!"

Genis smiled happily, but then Lloyd promptly turned off the fire with his hands by covering it with his glove. Like as was expected, there was no heat radiating from within the fire that he could tell. "No, Sheena. If there is a light, we could be found, and if there was a light made by fire based Mana, then-"

There was a crowing noise, like a little owl or a bird trying to call in the rest of the flock. It was a high sharp and tightly upright shrill that made Lloyd stop and turn around very quickly. _What the-?_ But, when he turned around, he couldn't believe what he saw! There was Sheena, standing away from the group for a couple of feet, making that little noise from her throat. "Sheena?!? What are you **doing**?"

She promptly stopped and then hung her head a little bit. She was on the verge of... tears? But right before Lloyd was going to head off towards her and see what was the matter, she only pulled her head up and gave a look back. "I am sorry, Lloyd... Why did you have to come now...? This is going to be.. horrible.. but I have to do this..."

Genis was shocked as well. "What are you talking about, Sheena?!?"

The lavender and blue dressed ninja pulled out her cards and then got into her stance that she used to fight against monsters. However, it was not aimed at the blacking sky around them, nor at any monsters for they were not there at all... But it was aimed at the two other travelers. Instinct told Lloyd to arm himself for something was about to happen, but his mind was telling him NO! It was his friend since childhood... SHEENA! How... What... WHY?!? Her black hair was brushed back as she placed on her head an angry look mixed with a slightly sad one. "Lloyd Aurion! I must do what has been suddenly thrust upon me! I cannot allow you to join your father any more! I'm sorry, but THIS is your fate!" With that, she lunged forward!

_Holy SHIT!!_ he mentally screamed as he launched himself out of the way. His red boots made dust kick up and shower around his feet and he made that backwards jump. Using his hand, he managed to twist his way around as he saw one of Sheena's magical cards come out from where she hid them. Where he was was where the card swooshed by, cutting the air as it made its first pass. Right now, he was in a defending position, making sure that he was not going to get any more damaged than he wanted. On top of that, his mental self was still screaming: _Sheena, Sheena, SHEENA?!? Why?!? What's going on here?!?_

"GO! CORRINE!" came a cry from her as the infamous summoning Mana circle came up as the little fox arrived in, making a growling noise. "Attack Genis! But only knock him out unconscious, alright?!" Once that was done, she threw herself down towards Lloyd once more, who had his swords out, but was still in a defense position. Genis, on the other hand, was about to cast Ice Tornado when the little fox came in and started to attack his upper torso.

"AKK!" he cried out. "Get off of me!!!"

"GENIS!" Lloyd cried out as he brought up one of his swords to defend from yet another coming Mana card. Lloyd's thoughts were racing. Yes, he knew how to fight. Yes, he knew how to defend himself. Yes, he knew how to cast Mana and now Summon. But never, **never**, _ever_ was he taught how to deal with two friends doing two different actions! On one hand, it was Genis, the half-elf that really did grow on him. On the other, the attacking Sheena, who was busy trying... to destroy him?!?

It was right then that Sheena's hand was coming in for one more attack. With his heightened senses, he could see where her hand was, and he caught it. Forcefully, he tightened his grip onto that hand and began to grab Sheena by her foot. It was a very quick gesture, but it caught her off guard she was very quickly and forcefully whammed into the neighboring tree on the head. Following the head, the rest of her body hit the tree bark before falling back down to the ground in a slump - a bag of clothing that was left behind...

Part of him wanted to help her, but he immediately turned himself around to face Genis, who was still managing to hold on. It was strange because Corrine shouldn't have that much vitality, but... No matter. He had to help Genis at least. He stopped himself really quick and pointed at Corrine. _Not enough to kill, Lloyd... Remember... Corrine was, at the very least, a fun companion._ "Thunder Blade!!!"

A sword of light fell down from the sky, crackling the air around it as it churned the ground into a mass of rocks and dust. There was the undeniable cry of the small Corrine, but the explosion that happened afterwards was too bright to see anything beyond a few feet, even if you were an angel. In the background, Sheena rested still...

---

Kratos felt the Mana before he could turn his head around to see the Mana itself. Coming high from the sky was the signature of attacking Mana, not at all healing Mana. An Indignation, which was something odd. However, that was not the only thing that was going on.

At that moment, Renegades piled down on top of them, vastly outnumbering them. Before Kratos could think how they got there before he could, he noticed that they were all riding Drakes, each one wicked looking and ready for attacking. One of the Drakes was far outshining the others. It had more armor and protection than anything else as well, and on the seat was a man with long and spiky brown hair. He seemed elder than some, and he had very muscular arms and legs. Kratos knew that man's figure from previous attacks that man made on the other Chosen's that were killed while on the Journey... That man was called Botta.

"Ah! Kratos! Today it seems we have you trapped! Hand over the Chosen, or your son will get it!"

That statement made his eyes widen in shock, if slightly. _Lloyd!_ But outwardly, his face showed nothing or tried to suppress it.

"You don't have him," he replied. Anger was there... if one knew how to detect it. His hand came down to reach his sword that was on his side...

"Ah. That may be true..." chuckled the man as Noishe growled angrily. "But... our leader might reach him before you possibly can!"

----------  
_  
Retouched - [4.28.2009]_


	23. Chapter 23

_Angels of Cruxis  
by: Fehize_

----------

High up above the surface world dwelled the land of winged creatures who many would admit to be something just short of magical. It was a land that was filled with soft, heavenly colors that was sure to make the average human, half-elf, or maybe an elf, wonder out loud in sheer awe. That was the only thing that was available for the eye however, and one often got bored of it after a while. That was especially true for those who had the mid set.

The tall, blue and silver colored pillars stood tall and erect, so far high above the platforms and so far below that not even the trained eyes of the angles could go see the end of it. All around, little floating pieces of Mana made for little floating mystical looking balls everywhere. It was a quiet scene today as most of the angels were off towards where Yggdrasil sent them, all lined up in utter most silence. Even the black clad battle angels were silent, even though they were usually the more rowdy of the bunch. Inside the main area, there were just the three silhouettes of a few figures. One was a red head, the other was a blue head, and the last one was a small brown head one.

Today was just like any other day, exempting the lack of 'heavenly' hosts. The youngest of all of the shadows began to bob up and down as if on some invisible and magical roller coaster ride. He was already waving his hands up high upon the air and screaming out something. Apparently, something was up.

Coming on in closer towards the three-some group, the red head one managed to stay perfectly still. His hands were at his side, but the blue haired man was trying to tug him with the help of the smaller one. He could swear, somewhere deep inside him, that BOTH of them were working together to try to get him to do something. It was very obvious, actually. The older man with the black cape had this pitiful and funny expression on, and the younger child was having a genuine expression. The blue haired one was there with his expression to... make fun of the red head... The fire head one frowned again for the umpteenth time that day.

"PWEEEESE Dad! Please! Can I PLEASE go outside again?" cried the child in the most begging way, allowing his brown eyes to open wide in a way that allowed his windows to his small soul quiver as if they were going to cry. "All I want to do is go outside again! PWEESE!!!!"

"Yes, Daddy. Oh please Daddy!" whined Yuan tauntingly. "Man, this is rich, Kratos. REALLY rich," he began with a snigger before Lloyd kicked Yuan with his feet in his knee lightly. "Oww..."

"Uncle Yuan... why are you making fun of my dad? If I recall right, you were the one who brought this up in the first place! Hmph." That was the reply that came out of the small child's mouth right before turning right into one large, toothy grin that spread out from ear to ear. Just utterly adorable... Of course, the red tried not to show it... ESPECIALLY with a certain 'Uncle' here...

"Lloyd... we can't just simply go outside for a picnic. It's... dangerous... and-"

"Nonsense. Now you are just going to abandon your son like that? Hmph. Here I was thinking you were a good fa-"

Kratos slugged the blue haired 'Uncle'. "Fine, we'll go," he muttered as he rubbed his hand to relax it as the blue haired one was trying to gain some air in the background.

"Ohh... Don't worry about me! I'll be just _fine_..." Yuan scowled.

---

There was a bright burst of sunlight as they grabbed their things to gather and traveled outside. Even though the thought of trying to get food again down his throat was something that he tried not to think about much - because if he thought about it, then he would recall once being able to eat as well... - when his son was doing such a thing. It was springtime, with the flowers blooming brightly. The Tower of Salvation was unable to be seen through the illusion that Mithos managed to place up through the others eyes, but it was still very beautiful to see the fake sky. The sky, of course, was a fake image of the sky hanging above Derris Kharlan, but Welgaia was not placed in the correct spot to head on off and receive such a sky. (It was because they were slightly too high for anything other than the depths of space.)

Yuan was holding onto the picnic basket after Lloyd earlier shoved it into his face with a very strong force. "He picks up after you..." muttered the blue haired as he held onto the basket. The small child was running around in circles, trying to make a cute and adorable pouty face, hiding underneath Uncle Yuan's black cloak and then running to hide behind his father's purple cloth that hanged out from behind his back. It was actually rather odd that his son had so much energy...

There was a cloth being held onto in the arms of the red head as he managed to rest it down upon the ground. He did not wish to venture to far down into the world he was on, but he did feel like getting out into the sun. It actually felt peaceful, despite his senses stated that there was not much of a difference between staying inside and going outside. But his heart knew there was a major one...

"Mr. Kratos and Mr. Yuan," began his son, trying to act all regal and proper in a fake voice that was obviously trying to imitate Mithos's adult form. "I am so glad that we were able to go into this cordial meeting together to discuss the art of mud pies."

Yuan arched his eye as he bit into a large apple. Yuan's thing to taste was apples and blueberries, which was actually rather lucky of him. This picnic consisted of mainly three flavors. Apples, blueberries, and tons of lemon pudding. (Not really healthy, but with the metabolism of an angel, who cared much about what you stuffed down into your stomach.)

"The art of mud pies, Lloyd?"

It was at this moment that his son pulled out three empty tin pans that seemed to actually be the cooking ware that the four Seraphim from long ago used on their travels trying to stop the Kharlan War. "YES!" he cried out, apparently very excited by his new discovery. "I am going to make mud pies for EVERYONE!!! Mud pies, according to a book read, is a very nutritious form of minerals that are located in the earth. That, and they always say it has a distinct taste..."

Yuan gagged on his food as Kratos paused his arm from bringing up one of the sandwiches to his mouth. "Lloyd... it's mud..."

But, unknown to him - or forgotten, Lloyd did not know what mud really was. Maybe because he was a kid that lived in a world where mud was no such thing, or maybe all of the books he read hid the truth of mud's origin. Whatever the case, there went the little brown head kid towards the edge of the picnic cloth. With a rather large spoon (imprinted with Martel's face. That meant it was her spoon... _Oh, dear..._), he scooped up enough mud for the three... 'pies'. Then, with a little punting run, he grabbed onto the blades of grass and sprinkled them onto the surface.

Kratos couldn't but help but throw out a VERY slight and small grin. It was rather funny, the way that the mud seeped out the edge of the pie pans, with little pieces of roots sticking out from the edges, as well as sprinkles made from grass. A little ant could be seen crawling among the very edge.

The small child raise up a spoon of stuff right before shoving it to make it hover right in front of Yuan's face. "Open wide, Uncle Yuan! Say, 'Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah'!"

"There is NO way I am going to-"

Plop! There went the spoon right into the mouth of the blue haired person.

"FUCK!" he screamed as he ran around. "MY GOD! WHAT THE FUCK?!? HOLY SHIT!"

Perfection. Really it was...

That is, until Lloyd decided that it was time for his Daddy to try the same dosage as his 'Uncle'...

------

The diamond was digging in deeper and deeper into the metal plate. She felt like her hand was going to fall off, but in the end, right before she was going to give it up for a moment, the little metal plate clinked away like rain. _**Yes!**_ she thought happily in her mind as she kicked that small piece of metal that was torturing her for the past six hours. Who knows what could have happened in the past six? Yuan could have come back, her only chance of escape could be vanquished... But she knew she was too much of an asset to be killed if she was caught. No, they'll just ship her into a newer and more protected room... and perhaps get rid of her precious jewels. (They saved her life, as she knew they would, and there was NO way someone was going to steal her rescuing items!)

The keypad was right there, waiting to be picked on and pushed, for the buttons symbolized her freedom... Or, at least, the freedom from outside of this room that has been her prison for goodness knows how many days... However, before she could leave the room, she knew she had to get her preparation gear all set up and ready. Though she may not be able to leave in her brand new outfit, she knew that she was going to have to have it ready once she went beyond the eyesight of these... Renegades...

After all, she had to warn the Chosen!

Her brown hair drafted around her neckline and draped down towards her back as she turned to face a large travel bag. It seemed heavy, but in truth it was more bulky than anything else. Besides, that bag of cloth was to be only carried until she leaves this desert and heads north. _Oh, how AM I supposed to head north with no escort? I can't exactly fight all the monsters away myself... nor can I randomly ask for help by one of the Renegades here. Nope. All they would do is 'help' me back into my 'room'. _This thought DID make her worry, but she knew that she would much rather take her chances out there in the world than in this itti bitti little room in the middle of a hot desert. That, and monsoon season was soon going to begin, and she wanted to get the hell out of there before THAT happened. (Otherwise, no escape plans until maybe another year!)

With a quick grace, she lifted her bag up towards her body and then began to walk around towards the door. It was at this very moment that she wished with all her might that she had one of those magical bags that could fit anything inside for almost none of the weight. (They sold them at the local stores... roughly for the same cost as one of her pearls. But right about now she thinks that it is best to get one of such items. That way, in case she needed to move farther than she thinks, she would be aptly prepared with more Apple Gels than even the 'Goddess' Martel could even carry!) _Alright, Anna! This is it! Once you open that door, you are going to have to find your way out of here and manage to make sure that you do NOT get captured. A sandstorm is due in for ten minutes! You LIVED in a desert, you know how to SURVIVE in a desert, and hopefully those Renegades on guard duty do NOT know the ways of a desert! _She gulped as she began to press down the buttons one by one.

There was only one more button to press, but she knew that once she pressed it, there was one guard there, waiting for her. She knew that the armor that the guards wore was too tough for her hand to go on and pierce it with her small diamond, but if she hit a hand... then maybe... just maybe would the man flinch and then she would be able to head off towards the exit, which she knew was to her right as she memorized the inner structures of the base already.

THERE! With that one button, she managed to open the door! Adrenaline was already pumping down into her body, waiting for her legs to start moving as fast as she could to get the CRAP out of this prison! There was the guard; almost asleep because NO ONE thought a small, little, _'frail'_ Anna could suddenly turn free and dangerous. He was still away, but there was nothing he could do. There was a small part of exposed skin along the shoulder blades, and with one big heave, she shoved the small diamond into his should blade and then ripped it out at a high velocity. Blood squirted from the wound as the Renegade cried out in pain, but by then, the brown haired woman was already gone and out of sight from that guard.

Blood and war were some of the things she hated the most, but that NEVER meant she was squeamish. After living in the desert and fortune telling, she had foreseen so many people dying by cactus, wolves, decapitated by monsters, and once she saw this man being torn apart limb from limb right after his weeding day by his mother-in-law. Rather... disturbing. (Why, oh why, did some people have the **nerve** to ask her when they were supposed to die? She should have added that question under the 'You Do Not Ask This Question' list...)

There was a small pittering and pattering of her feet as she was running down the hall. On one eye, she was looking up ahead, but everyone once in a while she would clean her diamond on her clothing that she knew she was going to have to discard within the next hour or so. It didn't really matter if she got blood all over her old clothing, but something inside her made her wish for a mere moment that it was Yuan's blood. (No good... son of a...)

The electronic doors - whatever the hell that meant - were still on their open port, not closed as of right then and there. Apparently, there was yet not much of a warning that she escaped, but she knew that it wouldn't stay that way for long. It was only a matter of time until those Renegades discovered what she was doing at that very moment! There was a big button that she had to push to get it to open, and push did she do!

BEEP!

OUT! There was nothing better than being outside in the sun! And as if almost on queue, the darkling billows of sand that ranged in the background was faint, but that could only mean that the sandstorm was coming in right on time. Behind her was still silence, but she knew she could not trust it to stay that way for long. _Sayonara, suckers!_ she jeered as she turned her head towards the only pass out of the desert that dwelled towards the northeast of her. It was about time that she could go on out and leave!

With each little step, she ran away from the neon-blue building that was showing itself off like a white object in the middle of a black field. (These Renegades apparently did not care much about cloaking themselves, it seemed.) Each step it seemed to get smaller and smaller. The winds were dying down ever so slightly, a pre-telling of doom that was about to breath down upon anyone outside. Right now, there was still energy within her systems, yelling - _**screaming**_ - at her to MOVE, _MOVE, _**MOVE!** Goodness gracious, move did she do!

She managed to reach the top of one of the sand dunes when she noticed that there were some of the guards running outside of the building. Two hundred feet from their bodies was the blackish tan cloud of sand, but they did not see it. No, they were too busy looking up at the black dot that was waving from the top of a large sand dune. It was a wave of victory. The guards didn't realize that they could not chase her until the black cloud enveloped them as well, and by then, Anna had already ran off the top crest of the sand dune and was laughing all the way. In typical desert style, she brought forth a thin strip of cloth that covered her mouth and nose, and then threw on a larger and fatter strip that allowed the air to pass, but never the sand.

Eventually, in only a few seconds, the sand enveloped her as well, but she was ready. With a small inner laugh, she began to walk towards the north, allowing her footsteps and any trace of her existence to be hidden by the whirls of the tan snow...

---

This sandstorm was a bad one, but not bad enough to last once the night fell down upon her figure for the second night in a row. Once she was clear of the hazards of being captured by Renegades, she slept in the morning for it was better to travel at night. Night was when the sandstorms usually disappeared or at least lessen their intensity. Of course, only a desert person could know the difference. A desert person she was, of course.

On that night of the second travel day did she realize that she was only one day from the pass... and that the sandstorm was gone from around her, though it was still raging in the background where Yuan's hut rested... as well as... Triet. The monsters that were typical of the area could now begin to come out, but it being night, they usually rested... Except the snakes, who came out at night. She did not want to rest with them running about, no sir! However, since all of the sand has stopped whirling, it was about time that she got into the hang of things and left her past life or 'Anna' alone. She couldn't use her awesome name... At least not for a while because they could track her by her name. It wasn't like she could exactly run along and claim herself as a fortune teller anymore either. Too obvious and far too easy to get re-caught and become disposed from the world.

So, that came to the current matter that she was going to address at that very moment. Digging into her bag, she pulled out the large bundles of cloth that she made in the days waiting for her plan to succeed. Many hours of staring at a certain thing, getting a sliver of metal to make a needle, and sewing came into account with the making of this object set, and now she was going to have to use everything that her heart could manage, as well as her brain. First thing was first, however. Using her pale-like hand, she dug into the bottom of the bag and pulled up a large water canteen, as well as some strong smelling green herbs that would have ruined her specially made clothing had she not carefully placed them away in a little plastic wrap. Pulling it out, she gulped.

Two or three weeks ago, she would have never done such a thing to her rich, chocolate colored hair as she was about to do right now. But if it meant keeping her life and warning the Chosen of Mana, there was nothing else she could do. _Here goes nothing..._ she thought sarcastically. In that one canteen, she shoved the green herbs deep within it and shook it for all it was worth. Constantly, she wove her hands up and down, over and over until it seemed that her hands were at their maximum torque! However, after a few minutes, it was all done. Uncorking the top, she glanced down to see her reflection of her oval face peer into the depths of the green liquid. This leaf was strong enough to dye anything it touched for at least two months with no discoloration: from clothing, to shoes, to clothes... to hair...

SPLASH! Not only that, but it was fast drying as well.

Rubbing her fingers over and over, she managed to get that green stuff over every last strand of her hair, making her head go from chocolate to emerald. It was amazing as to how everything was green to quickly except her skin. (Her dye only worked on things with fabric or hair. It never touched skin, oddly.) Then, it was time for the rest of her project. She took off her clothing in the middle of the night sky and then discarded them after removing anything of value. Tearing them up slightly was key, for a bad Renegade could believe that she was attacked by snakes, for snakes threw out green venom and it just so happened she had green dye.

Now she had to redress for two reasons. One, she was cold, and two, it was her disguise. First thing was first, there was a large and silken black and silver dress that went on top of her skin and silver petticoats (all made by the bed sheets from the Renegade Base that they foolishly left for her to use), followed by tying together . ribbon into large knots. Then, came a black cloak with green embroidery of leaves and vines, all topped off with a small black cap with silver and green trimming. (Everything there, too, was made from bed sheets and godd knew what else. She prized herself on sewing, even though she hated doing it...) Finally, the last finishing touches. Her hands dug into the gem bag and pulled forth six pieces of emeralds that were very flat and skinny, for they were meant to be as earrings. However, for this case, she was going to wear it on her hair, in her hair, and make the little objects stick out like dangling accessories.

As the sun was beginning to kiss the world, the woman called Anna smiled. "Heh," she muttered slightly as she began to once again walk towards the pass. "It seems like the 'Goddess Martel' has awoken again."

She had copied the portrait hanging in her prison to the exact.

She was free...

And she now had a costume for traveling and gaining access to any ship she wanted to get to the Chosen before Yuan did...

DAMN, was she good!

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_  
I never do OCs - original characters - as main characters. Just a note. Hehe..._

_Retouch - [4.28.2009]_


	24. Chapter 24

_Angels of Cruxis  
by: Fehize_

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There was the bright moon shining high above the realm of the others, making the world seem pale and bright, like a moonflower that was blossoming in the height of the night. Bright and white it glittered, allowing for its light rays to reach down towards the bottom and touch the face of the slowly dying world. In fact, there seemed to be a slight wind as well, making for quite a night that the stars were brimming with life and color. There was a sense of peace high up in the sky, a peace that was reflected by the way that the wind very gently weaved around certain corners before hitting down towards the snowy ground below. The cold kissed the surface as well, making for a show of ice and glittering blue twinkles that one could deem as frozen water. Slowly but surely, the colors reached down towards the bottom of the ground, allowing for nothing to get away.

Except, right before it could touch the bottom area of the floor below, a bright light of electricity charged and fell down from the heavens - Heaven itself! - and was burrowing itself down towards the ground below, making for the air around to sizzle and ionize, crackle and split apart; making one giant noise that deafened anything close by. Heat from the bolt itself was with the ray of light, causing the ground that it touch to split apart and burst into a mass of rocks and ice. They were dangerous projectiles in a battlefield of color and light that was ignoring one little snowflake that was being burned into ice by that one bolt...

There is something that every fighter will claim once they take their hands to arms and bring forth their weapons. It was called the 'heat of the battle', which could not only mean the heat from attacks of fire, thunder, and earth, but as well as the heat of the inner body, pumping and pumping the extra thrill of adrenaline. It was what some certain people were facing right then and there, but it was something much more dire going on at that moment. There seemed to be something wrong... Something...

BAM! The crackle of electricity erupted through the ground, making for a massive echo of sound to rupture around the pits of a crater. It was beginning to form underneath the figures of a certain red dressed teenager and a white haired half-elf. The dust that was picked up from the explosion hurdled around everywhere, causing cuts and scraps on the trees who seemed to almost ignore the fact that they were slowly being eaten away: disintegrated.

As the world's eye came closer down towards the battlefield, the figures of certain objects were noticeable. There was a brown haired teen that had a face of anger and frustration, a small white haired child that was filled with frightfulness, and in front, across from a mighty creator that exploded right before the young one's eyes was a man with long blue hair tied back in a ponytail. It seemed almost like a split second before the blue haired one rose his hand and gathered forth a large plasma ball of pure electrical Mana.

"Indignation!" came a cry once again, except this time the actual bolt came down faster, leaving less time to escape from the ring of purple and lavender Mana that was getting wider and wider by each passing cast, each passing minute.

Lloyd pushed Genis aside before turning around and jumping out of the way as well, but he could not jump out far enough. _Uncle Yuan has gone __**NUTS**__!!!!!!!!!!!_ he screamed in his mind as he yelled out "GUARDIAN!" It was a pitiful defense against the might of Volt's electricity, even though it technically wasn't Volt, but at least it was not a direct hit. The mini bolts jumped off the ground and then bounced off the aura of Mana, if it was but just a slight amount. As of then, he was on defensive position, holding onto the ground, making sure that Genis or himself couldn't get hurt (as well as the still knocked out body of Sheena). Yet, his inner mind was still reeling.

_There was no sounds for a while. It was... silent. Not even the noise of the snow falling from tree limbs could be heard, and this was coming from the ears of an angel. Sheena was deathly quiet, Genis was deathly quiet; hell, even LLOYD was deathly quiet._

_Then, there was a noise._

_In the distance there was something coming from the snowy bushes that seemed to quiver in the wind that was not existent. Lloyd tensed up, ready for anything, especially since that bird call that Sheena left out was apparently a call for someone or something. Lloyd was positive whatever was ahead was backup, and he was ready for an ambush._

_Out from the snow covered thickets came the form of a certain blue covered adult man. "Lloyd... there's a man!" screamed out Genis, but Lloyd already knew that he was there._

_"Uncle Yuan!" happily exclaimed the brown head._

_He attacked right about then, of course._

"Uncle Yuan, why are you doing this?!?" he screamed out as he dogged yet another zap of arched lightning that zipped past him and hit a tree, exploding the snow and making it dissipate into the air around. The other adult's blue hair was floating past him. The snow fell back down to the ground.

He charged foreword, pulling out his double bladed sword and began to reach for an attack.

Lloyd brought out his weapons and held them up into a defense position. One steel sword was in front of another, allowing for absolutely nothing to rush between them, yet the large blade did. The blue haired Seraphim's sword was made better and was forged out of the elements, whereas Lloyd's was crafted by a blacksmith that was still in the intermediate level to late novice at smithing.

The brown head's one cracked down the middle. Yuan's sword kept its mighty rush, plowing through everything, including the air. Lloyd only had enough time to pull back his head from the swipe, but his shoulder was still in the way. With one mighty and powerful stroke, the blue haired person razed through the tip of Lloyd's angelic flesh in a matter of milliseconds. There was something that was almost like a small sting that burned within his mind, but it was not unbearably painful. The slice hurt, he knew he had just suffered a large loss in stamina, but it wasn't yet painful. _Thank Martel for Angelic powers..._ he thought bitterly as he tried to back up again from another oncoming attack. Genis was still behind him, unable to stay still and charge up his Mana for an attack of any sort as they were constantly running around in a circle.

"You cannot run forever, Lloyd. You may be as skilled as your father was when he was your age, but I am still **thousands** of years more experience than you." With that, he brought his black armored gloves down in a fashion that made for the ground below erupt in a torrent of electricity. It was... very painful, but at least the teen could not feel most of it. Neither were in their angelic forms, which made Lloyd nervous in the inside. On one hand, Genis would find out that Uncle Yuan was an angel - a Serpahim, no doubt - and that means that Genis would have to be silenced else he learns about the truth of Cruxis. On the other, Uncle Yuan was indeed a Serpahim, and being in non-angel form only allowed himself to use the lesser part of his skills. It meant that the blue haired one was going easy on him. It meant that all of these attacks were merely play ones. It meant that...

Lloyd was stuck in a corner of the woods. The Mana signature of his Uncle was now rising higher, hitting close towards the Seraphim state. Lloyd decided that perhaps now it was a best time to get out of the corner. His father always said that being stuck in a corner, wither it be rocks, trees, or anything else, was one of the easiest ways to loose a fight. Loose a fight, and then die quickly. He unfurled his wings and then grabbed Genis's arm, lunging his body high, but lower than the trees. Down below, Uncle Yuan twisted his hand.

"Unlike Kratos," he began in a snicker, "you do not have the experience, nor talent, of knowing where to expect the enemy!" With that done, a large figure enveloped the area in front of Lloyd's face. It was some sort of evolved Drake, some sort of strange and odd monster. It was fast, too fast for Lloyd, who was carrying Genis. The large, golden scaled creature took a large swing and struck Lloyd down to the ground. Genis fell down as well, crashing down upon the tops of some of the trees. Before Lloyd could get his bearings up correctly, a Thunder Blade rained from the sky.

The explosion and light nearly made the teen deaf and blind. He was beginning to feels signs of tiredness. Seraphim had more health than the average angel could hold, more stamina, but Lloyd was not a Seraphim for long compared to the others, and he knew it. His body was already beginning to tell the tall tale signs that he was nearing the max that his body could take. If he was a human, elf, or half-elf, then he would have perhaps already passed out in pain. He was aware that he looked seriously injured, but he dared not take his eyes off of his Uncle.

A green and white blur appeared from the edge and attacked Yuan's neck dead-on center, sinking its white, pearly clean fangs right into the area where blood was vital for those who were not angels. (Angels had blood, yes, but they did not necessarily need it to survive. It was there to help stamina and energy though, as it provided warmth to the areas of the body that needed such heat. Seraphim blood no longer needed the task of transferring air to the rest of the body. So, naturally, if an angel needed to rest, it was because that angel was on the verge of collapsing, and that was Lloyd's current predicament.) The green tipped animal had it's tail no longer flickering back and forth in a happy notion, but stiff in an angry one. Lloyd felt like sleeping...

He just had enough time to hide his wings in as his vision saw...

His hearing could make out a small "Damn" from Yuan...

Somehow, though, he could hear Genis falling from the tree...

---

He was a horrible father.

His red hair was billowing past behind him, allowing his steps to come by too fast for a normal human to run, yet that was not in his mind as he traveled from Point A to Point B. There was too many trees in the air above him for his body to allow his wings to come out without being hit by every branch, and there was the sounds of Drakes in the air that filled the night with their bloodlusty cries. So fast, he was running. It did not matter to him at all that he abandoned the Chosen One far behind him, along with the white haired healer. All that mattered was heading towards the Angelic Mana signature... Where his son was...

He should have never split up. His son could be dead because of him.

Like Anna, his precious, dear, sweet Anna.

Ahead of him was the clearing where he saw a slumped figure getting up from the ground. Already his eyesight was beginning to notice the details that were from the clothing of the younger Sage. He brandished his sword, ignoring the clumsily moving boy, running farther into the clearing that now had splatters of red blood.

There was nothing there, but there was signs.

His heart plummeted, a feeling he did not want to feel ever again. However, he scanned the area, eager to see anything move aside from Genis. Anything at all. He was fortunate enough to see something red that was not blood off towards a distant corner...

It was Lloyd. He was hurt, in some serious pain, and...

And Kratos... he was going to annihilate ..

He'll raze them.

Destroy them.

Kill them.

---

They made it to Luin, and Raine had lost and gained respect for the Aurion family. On one hand, there was Lloyd, who had **saved** Genis from Sheena and this other man that Genis said he couldn't remember the name of. On the other, there was the hastily HORRID other Aurion, Kratos. They were already surrounded by many monsters when there was a slight change in Mana signature in the background of the forest. Right when Raine and Colette needed to have mercenary skills the most, he ran off faster than she could believe even a (possible) Demon from the Underworld could possibly run. He was practically _flying_! On top of that, she was the one who had to protect the Chosen One. Sure, she knew that it was vital to a person that one's son was alive, but Colette was the one that would save the world from dying! If Kratos ran off after Lloyd, and Colette died, then there was no more hope for Salvation. This world was dying and nearing it's end of Mana. It was beginning to be more and more apparent as she traveled aroud, gathering her ideas and thoughts, as well as notes. The Triet Desert was getting larger for it was already almost at the out skirts of the mountains that neared Iselia. There was getting to be less and less fish in the oceans. Izoold fishermen that she interviewed while they were resting there claimed that there was just no more fish for them to reach out with their nets. Everything was going into disarray. Even now, she could tell that every time that she used one of her more advanced spell, a little spot - roughly the size of a pebble - formed underneath her feet. A dead spot, filled with nothing but dust.

It was the signs of the end of the world...

The inn that they were staying at had a distinct color. It had blue tiles for roofs, as well as a wooden frame. Somehow, though, Kratos seemed even more distant, shutting himself and Lloyd alone in one end of the room. All he had said was that Lloyd needed more time to heal from his injuries. That was widely apparent, for even though the brown head did not have any more massive cuts, bruises, or scraps (not that he had bruises to begin with, but...) upon his body, he was still knocked out cold.

Today, she was reading a book about one of her more favorite subjects: Angels and the High Seraphim. She needed to study more about the angelic language for if they were to run into any more seals, then she at least needed to know about the small details that escaped her knowledge. So far, despite many years of practice and training, all she knew was in angelic was the equivalency of Colette when she was five. At least it was a start more often than others could dare cope with. Even Colette was not one hundred percent fluent in angelic, but she was at least seventy-five percent. Some of the longer words made her confused. Very few priests even knew the whole language. Nonetheless, this book she was reading had translations in Common, so she was fine for now, even though she knew translations almost never have EVERY word done correctly.

"_Chapter Twenty-Three: Differences Between the Holy Angels and The Grand High Seraphim: The Servers of the Divine Goddess Martel_"

"Angels, though holy in their own way, have their Mana signature much different that that of the Grand Seraphim. Angels have a lower intensity, more closely related towards a Chosen of Mana than any other species, whereas the Grand Seraphim have their signatures off the scale. Spiritua (the first and only successful Chosen One) was the first to record such findings and gave the records to one of the High Popes before she finished her last journey towards the Tower of Salvation. It is also recorded that Spiritua had a close encounter with one of the Grand Serpahim herself. (This story will be followed down later in the next chapter.)

"Angels are reported to have solid wings, varying in color from black, grey, or white. They are composed of solid feathers and are in the same formational shape as birds, though slightly altered. Angels, as well as High Seraphim, are actually light, but they extract a Mana spell that allows their bodies to stay on the ground on their feet if needed. When in flight, such Mana is gone, replaced instead with the Mana to fly. Most angels have a calm, serene face. They are never ones to argue, neither are they ones to judge incorectly. Some would even go as far enough to say that they are emotionless.

"Grand Seraphim, on the other hand, are much different than their lower counterparts. Seraphim are said to have clear and translusive wings, almost similar to that of a Chosen's wings. A possible explanation could be that a Chosen One, once becoming an angel, is then ranked up to be a Seraphim for her revival of the Goddess Martel. Seraphim's wings are also different colored. As seen from the Chosen One, as well as Spiritua's encounter, they range from pink to green. Spiritua includes the color blue as well, a cerulean blue. Other than that, Seraphim are also said to have a Mana signature so high it must be hidden, else the natural unbalance in a certain area would create havoc. In protecting the lands, Grand High Seraphim are able to hide their Mana signatures to be something relatively akinned to a elf or a half-elf. Some people also claim that the signature also closely resembled something like that of a Demon, a resemblance that can only be felt when a Seraphim is hiding their Mana signature..."

Raine stopped reading.

There was a noise behind her as she turned her head around to see Kratos come out from the room where Lloyd was. His red hair flowed in front of his eyes, preventing the sight of his left eye. His stance was still stiff, his sword never out of sight from his left side. "Lloyd is awake," he muttered softly as he walked off beyond her line of sight.

Kratos's Mana signature was something closely resembled to that of a Demon.

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__Raine is a well versed scholar. If the Chosen's Regeneration path has been going on for thousands of years, then some few things must have leaked out about angels... Right? -laughs-_

_Retouched - [5.2.2009]_


	25. Chapter 25

_Angels of Cruxis  
by: Fehize _

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Outside from the outskirts of the pale blue clay tiles rested a world of sun. This sun was actually the same sun that hit the floating ex-elven world high above called Darris Kharlan, but like the sky, it was fake. In truth, the real sky would have been a purple one, full of wondrous colors that would scare one into the deepest parts of their minds. However, the sky that was there, though fake, was still as awe inspiring as the real one. The rays gently fell down through the particles of air. It was becoming to be mid-beginning-winter already, but even then there were still signs of greenness among the floor of the world. Small flowers, red, yellow, violet, and pink, could be seen sprouting, being coaxed by the many people that dwelled there and decided to grow. There were many streets that were paved with cobblestones, a sharp contrast than that of small villages. Surely, this was something akin to a large town, or perhaps a small city. Deep inside the heart of the city rested the actually wonders, however. This wonder was the fact that even though the city of Luin seemed to be very stable and tied down, the heart and soul of the community was on a small island connected by many wooden bridges. It was a triumphant of Luinian engineering that such wooden bridges stayed around for more then five generations before a single plank of wood had to be replaced.

A certain red head man was walking past a certain blonde hair teenager girl. Her blue eyes searched around the country side seeing many of the people whose lives she had to save... at the terrible cost of her own. That small thought lowered her eyes down, but she knew that she had to do this for the sake of everyone. That way, everyone would be happy, the evil Desians would be gone, and the world would be safe for everyone. Lloyd and Kratos will be able to live and go back to wherever they came from, Raine would be allowed to have more ancient ruins to explore as well as keep a note on the new technology; Genis would be able to have a nice time with his sister, doing things whatever elves do best. Everyone was... going to be... happy... Yet... she was not going to be there long enough to see all of the happiness in the world. She would be gone far away, perhaps in a different world, but at least she was going to help people. Maybe right before she was to die, maybe she just might... just might, see Martel. What would the great Goddess say to her?

Sighing, she shook her had as she turned around to face the red head, which seemed more relieved now that Lloyd was awake. Seemed, mainly because his expression was more or less the same, but deep down inside she was sure he was relieved. Even she had to smile once she found that out. Lloyd was such a nice person to hang around with, always cheerful and putting on a smile. She was happy hanging around with Lloyd, for he also made her feel safe. Now, she guessed, was perhaps the best time to talk with him. For a while, she was a little bit afraid that he liked Sheena, but apparently, she left them. She knew that this was going against her greater judgment, but she wanted to talk alone with Lloyd for a while, without his father hanging around.

The water splashing in from the lake was a nice one, and she was happy that she could still feel it. As she was walking back towards the blue-tiled roofed inn, she walked passed small and little carts filled with lots of fish. There were many different types, all of different colors like the rainbow. The sizes of such creatures also ranged from small and midget towards large ones that fell just short of monsters. She allowed her eyes to look at each and every single one, trying to take in what her stomach could not. It seemed like only a little while ago when could eat them, but at least she remembered eating such good foods in her lifetime before she was going to...

Colette opened the door in front of her and walked by many people who never gave her more than a second look. Kratos had wisely said that it was best that no one said that she was the Chosen One, otherwise they will be filled with so many admirers that they wouldn't be able to move around enough. He seemed to be a very smart person! Well, knowledged in many things that even Raine knew little about.

Speaking of Raine, she was sitting down on a little chair off the side of the main entrance hall of the inn, staring at the door that led towards the outside. Her hands held nothing, like as if she was trying to grip the air, and a book was messily plopped down upon her lap. It was one of the few books that the elder elf claimed that she borrowed from the Temple of Martel, though for some reason she never heard of her teacher borrowing any book. "Professor Raine? What are you looking at?" she asked out loud, trying to get her attention.

Raine still stared out of the door frame that was covered by the door at that moment. It took a little bit before she turned her head around to face Colette with a kinda normal face. Well... actually it was the face that Genis had stated appeared when Raine found something she thought was 'shiny'. But, for a Professor... what could be dubbed that from her? Eventually, her white hair turned around as her face met the teen's one. "Ah, Colette. I didn't really notice you were there for a few moments. I am sorry. I was... thinking about _certain_ things that have just recently come up to my observation. Please forgive me...

"Ah... what are you doing back so soon, Colette. I thought you wanted to go outside and see the sights of Luin. Did something happen? Or maybe you are just tired?"

Colette shook her head, wondering what Raine could be thinking about, but decided to put it off anyways. It probably was something that only Raine found fascinating. "Actually, Professor, I am sorry that I disturbed you. It seemed that you were really busy thinking about something. I just wanted to come back in and check up on Lloyd. I heard he was awake, and I wanted to make sure that he was going to be ok."

"Lloyd... what an _interesting_ specimen I could look at..." Colette heard as she was about to enter Lloyd's room by using her new found powers of insanely good hearing. Of course, it was just a mutter from Raine, but that made the blonde wonder in her mind. _"Interesting... specimen"? That's an odd thing to say, Professor Raine. I wonder if Lloyd's ok then, for usually she doesn't talk about things like that unless someone had something new..._

Her white gloved hand went over the doorknob that was the color of bronze with small, little metal screws. Slowly, she turned it and then pulled the door open, stepping into a small room where, until recently, Kratos stayed in almost all the time. There were light rays from the sun hitting the air around, making for a nice shadow and reflection in the ways that the dust from the air dances around. Patterns were made down upon the floor because of that, nice patterns that she could spot fairly easily now. She brought up her blue eyes to see Lloyd sitting up on the small bed that had white linen covers with a large blanket to protect someone from the cold. His brown eyes were looking at her in his usual happy sort of way, and his hair was spiked up here and there, claiming that he had yet to brush his hair back. On his front was a plain white t-shirt that was given to him because his other red one was ruined. Kratos said he was going to either fix it or buy him something new. This white shirt was only to be something temporary, but it seemed like he was fine with it anyways, despite the fact that it did not look like he was cold or anything. Luin was cold at the moment, but Lloyd seemed fine enough. It made her feel sort of bad that here he was, getting the most of the damage from an attack, when she was still safe. Only when she Regenerated the world would bad stuff like this stop happening to her friends... and Lloyd.

"Ah! Colette! It's nice seeing you today!" he exclaimed happily with a slightly different smile upon his face. The Chosen of Mana could not exactly place the emotions from which the smile derived from, but she was happy on receiving a smile in the first place. "Dad said I got hurt on some..."

"Desians, Lloyd. Remember?" she asked quietly. Kratos had said that Lloyd had received a few bonks on the head (though she was sure 'bonks' was not the word term he used...), and may or may not remember that nights events all that well. Somehow, it seemed Kratos was still angry by that fact. Did he really want to know who did this to his son that bad...? Then again, now that she thought about it, it was her fault. If she didn't drag Kratos into protecting her... then Lloyd wouldn't have been brought in. And if Lloyd wasn't brought in, then he wouldn't have been hurt trying to make sure that she stayed protected by splitting apart from each other.

The brown headed teenager smiled and then raised his arm to the back of his head, rubbing it up and down. "Ahh... that's right... _Desians_. Heh... Man... What a night..."

She was curious of what Lloyd remembered. "What happened, Lloyd? When we arrived towards the area that Kratos ran off towards, Raine was about ready to murder him, but right before she was going to, we noticed that you were being held by your father. Genis was being hysterical, claiming that Sheena attacked you guys before something big smacked him on the head, or something along those lines. Raine and I were so worried..." Carefully, she placed her hands down on her lap as she sat down on the small inn bed, looking over at Lloyd. "I... I thought you were dead... I was so afraid... You seemed so... still..."

"Eh... Well, I feel much better now! Actually, I can't seem to recall much after... Sheena... But I do remember lots of Drakes." As if to prove he felt better, he pulled out his body from under the covers and began to jump around the room. He had little light blue pants on, and they ruffled like the surrounding port air. "See? All better!" There were no cuts or bruises upon his body. There were some bad cuts when she last took a good glance at Lloyd before Kratos patched him up with some bandages and Raine healed what she could (however, Kratos seemed to have healed him already as much as he could as well). Now, they seemed to be all gone, as if they never existed. _Wow. I'm so happy that he heals up so fast! It's almost magical! Thank you, Goddess Martel, for bringing him back!_

Colette was going to talk a little bit more, but then she remember that she was sent around Luin to take a look at some goods as Kratos was not about to do much of anything right then. (He said something about getting some alone time.) She also had to check out the Church of Martel that was there in town, trying to get some more evidence of the next seal. Maybe there were some books in angelic that she could read through and look through to see where it was. Raine said there might be one in Asgard, but what if there was another one?

"Bye, Lloyd. I'll be seeing you soon, ok? I'm sorry about everything though..."

---

There was a lake effect wind coming in, but it was not yet strong enough to make any form of strong rainstorms for the next three hours. A certain red head had three hours to spare, and more if he needed to do so. Some would claim him to be immortal, but in truth, he was something that just had a lot of stamina, loss of most humanity... a Seraphim or highest regard.

And at this current moment, he was cursing himself.

Luin. Luin was a town that brought in memories. It was a town that also brought in his figure a long time ago... He cherished and hated this city, wished it could burn to the ground, wished it could bring back the times long past; wished that maybe his life was not at the place where it was now. Granted, at least he still had his son, but the memories of a different time still flew and haunted his mind whenever he saw his son or thought hard about life and its meaning.

It was never a smart idea, personally, to stay in Luin more than an afternoon. However, he couldn't tell everyone that this was where she came from. No, everyone else needed to rest and regain their strength before they enter the Tower of Mana, the ancient library filled with texts with ages ranging from a thousand years younger to him to five hundred years ago.

He brought his head back towards his son, Lloyd. What he had said had sent shivers, yet understanding, up his mind.

_"Lloyd, are you alright?" he asked, worried and it faintly showed in his voice as he stared down at his son, who was just beginning to open his eyes up for the first time in a week._

_"Dad...?"_

_The red headed mercenary-Seraphim sighed slightly in relief. "Thank goodness you are OK."_

_They discussed how one was doing, and the other, doing typical things that family do after one is hurt in such a way. It was only after a few more minutes - almost half an hour - that Kratos decided to bring forth the question about who did this to him._

_Lloyd was silent as his face fell. "Dad... it was... Uncle Yuan... he... he attacked me."_

_Yuan. The leader of the Renegades? He remembers that was what Botta said. The leader was going to go after his son._

_He didn't know what to say himself either, and left the topic silent. But... he did not want to tell Mithos either. Yuan was a thorn on Cruxis's side, nearly hurt Lloyd once, hurting him on the second try, after him by the ways of his son..._

_Yet they were against Cruxis. Somehow, Kratos couldn't find something really wrong enough with that, even though he knew he should._

_As a compromise, he will attack the Renegades, personally. That way, Mithos wouldn't need to know, and Kratos will still be able to give the Renegades no mercy._

It was there at the wharf, where his face was seeing the sun dip down into the sky very slightly signifying the start of late afternoon, when there was a shadow that resided behind him, casting him away from his thoughts. Rather, the shadow reached halfway through him, and the other half portrayed itself on the wooden panels, making its shape hit the floor below before reaching out towards the inner waters of the lake. The mercenary with top notch sword skills had already heard the person arrive with the passing of their feet, but thought nothing of it.

"Excuse, sir?" came the talk from an elder, woman's voice that seemed to have a strange mix of emotions such as confusion and a little bit of hope. "Excuse me..." she asked again, this time being a little bit quieter with her request - it must have been a her, for she had a female voice that did not resonate from an elder man.

Slowly, Kratos turned his head around to see the elder woman who had called down upon him with such a voice. She was one of the townspeople, no doubt, and was wearing a sky blue outfit and a little green apron that had little flowers embroidered on it. Her hair was umber with small streaks of grey, but her complexion was not that one of a woman who stayed indoors often. She was not fat or skinny, but more on the lines of slightly chubby. Her eyes were brown umber as well, closer towards bark wood than anything else around this city. "Yes, madam?" he asked, just as his own face with his red eyes turned around to face the women at her eyesight level.

Needless to say, she screamed.

For a rather long time.

Kratos stood there, standing up with a wonder thought passing thorugh his head. _It makes it seem like I killed her slowly... which I know I have not._ Inside, he wished he could slightly sigh, for even though it was almost a minute already, she was still standing in that gasping position with a little 'o' of a mouth. She was no longer screaming, much to the pleasure of his ears, but Kratos was wondering what was wrong with her. "Madam, is something wrong?" he asked calmly, bring his hand up in a gesture saying he meant no harm upon her.

"You... You... You're..." she began with a stammer, messing up over words and phrases that made her words from then on illegible, even for an angel's point of view. Her hand went up towards her chest, and she took a few steps back towards the edge of the railing, bonking her back upon those wooden parts that protected one from falling in towards the deeper end. It was a good thing she was not further on the wharf, else she becomes part of the lake instead of just by the protective railings. Kratos could see her gulping, and he believed she was having some sort of spams. "You're-" she croaked out, and now some sort of tears were coming into her eyes, almost at the point where they were about to fall down into her cheeks. "You're... K-Kratos!"

Kratos was taken aback, but only blinked once as his outer self took it like nothing. Inside, his mind was thinking. Who was this person? How did this person know him? He has never returned to Luin in more than seventeen or eighteen years, so who _was_ this person? Her figure did not strike up a memory from anywhere at all... Most importantly, he made it his business to make sure that anyone who knew his name was silent about it, or was already silenced by time. "Madam, is there something you wish to talk about?" he asked, keeping his voice level.

"Well!?!" she now screamed out as he hands flew in the air; her bodily figure still tense with some sort of shock. "Are you or are you NOT Kratos Aurion?!?" She was now flailing, almost like she has seen a ghost from an ancient past. Tears were literally coming down her cheek, splashing upon the ground like little spheres filled with rainbows. Her apron was getting wet with small, little splotches, and her head was swinging back and forth so her hair got slightly messed up. "_**Tell**_ me!!!" she continued, hitting hysteria.

The red headed adult didn't know what to say aside from nodding his head in a yes fashion. Who was this woman and why did she want him? He, no doubtly, wanted to find out. "Yes, madam, my name is Kratos Aurion. How is it that you-"

He was going to finish his sentence, but then was cut off as the figure of the elder woman rose up to meet his eye with something between a glare and a stare. She tried to raise her body up towards the 'immense height' that was needed to intimidate people, but she failed upon trying to that towards Kratos. Rather, the four thousand year old Seraphim was intrigued. "YOU!" she began, with her finger pointing at his face. "**You! **How... How DARE you say things like that! '_Yes, madam_' my ass! What did you do to my poor little girl?!?"

His red hair stayed still as he took a stare back at her. It was his stare that he gave Cruxis underlings when they dared raised their voices up to his level to challenge him. Unlike in Cruxis though, Kratos did not send this woman to Mithos or dealt with her himself. Instead, he stated the facts. "I know of no little girl that I have hurt with in my life as of this moment that could be related to you."

That only got the woman angrier, but she was undoubtedly fazed down by the coldness of the glare that was being given to her by one of the Grand High Seraphim. "Stop playing coy with me, _Kratos_," she hissed. "What did you do to my little Anna?!? Or did you forget your own mother-in-law?!?"

----------  
_  
[Edited Old Notes]  
I do not believe that Luin was attacked earlier than when in the game, leading me to believe that Anna might have been traveling around the outskirts when she was kidnapped (or whatever) to the Asgard Ranch. So, this could mean that her parents are alive, old, and most defiantly would have seen "The Wedding." (You know what I mean, people.)  
No, Mrs. Irving is not going to be a major character. She's just here for a few chapters (one or two more) then she's gone too. But, let's face it, if Kratos married Anna... SOMEONE would have to recognize him. Seriously. It's not like everyone who saw them died within those seventeen or eighteen years. Sesh. Desians don't get EVERYONE..._

_Retouched - [5.02.2009]_


	26. Chapter 26

_Angels of Cruxis  
by: Fehize_

----------

There were bright and puffy clouds the colors of silver and grey, as well as opal white, nearby the middle of the sky. Not exactly right above the surface of heads filled with hair or no hair at all, but not at the wondrous horizon where the winds of changed danced around and played with. It was on that horizon where the bright and puffy clouds of the heavens turned into different colors that danced closer to lavenders, blues, purples, and oranges. They were bright colors that seemed to rival rainbows. Sadly, such wondrous colors would soon fade away with the passing of time. The next day, such colors will be reborn into the world, but who was to say that it would be the same colors? What if clouds decided to come in and repress the colors with the coming of rain? However, the colors, unaware of the fate that was to become of them, were in a sense, immortal. They would be back eventually, filled with vigor and life for the next passerby to view with their windows to their souls.

Today was such a day where the clouds only enhanced the colors. They, too, turned into a mass of lights and tones, but the ones who lived by the lake found such colors to be redundant. They have seen many things themselves, and such colors brought by the sun and water no longer seemed to surprise the mortals who lived down upon the nursing, yet slowly dying, ground. Reds and purples, tagging along with their medium ranges of spectrum, soon reached the eyes of a group of people who were outside to see the colors, for they were not dwellers of this City of Hope. One by one, they stood, each one arching their necks as high as they could see: all of the days prior, there were too many clouds covering the horizon to see anything such as the view today. It truly was a wonderful sight.

One such person was a teenager, though maybe couldn't be considered in the same species as the blonde female teenager he was standing next to. At least, maybe not yet. Right next towards that girl with the eyes that reflected the sky above was a woman with white hair that was standing straight and tall. Her bangs flew sideways despite the slight wind that made it want to plop down into her face. She was clutching onto the head of the small child standing next to her, whose hair reflected off the woman who was her sister. The youngest Seraphim began to speak while looking up, addressing the neighbors, but keeping his sight high above. "Wow..." he breathed, "-it's beautiful..."

"Indeed," began the one who held a book to her side. She had her arm now folded towards the side to make her hand reach her chin a thinking position. "Iselia never had such a sunset before. Despite the fact that the most wondrous settings are made by sand or dust particles in the air, that little town never had the right amounts to get such a spectacular sight. Luin, it seems, has a lot of such sunsets, enhanced by the salt in the air as well as the lake to make small clouds that do not obstruct the view of the sun."

"That's amazing, Professor!" exclaimed the female happily. "But, I think I will still see it as an act from the Goddess Martel. Such a wonderful Goddess would most certainly make such a wondrous thing... I wonder what she could be doing for us if she was back."

The small half-elven boy had to nod his head. "It really is beautiful, sis! Hard to believe the view comes from soil in the air. One would have never guessed." He jumped up and down happily. "Isn't this awesome, Lloyd?!? I betcha you don't have any of this where you come from!"

The brown head smiled and nodded. "That's right! This is my first time seeing anything like this! Home usually has lots of plain, boring stuff. I mean, it's pretty, but it's also a little bit bleak." He smiled as he brought his hand to the back of his head, watching the last remaining bits of the sun beginning to end its life on the world that day until later. "However, at home, when the sun rises and sets, it's a **really** different thing." Welgaia was located high above Derris-Kharlan, its highest peaks hitting space. By the large windows, one could see the sun burst in light around the surface of the worlds below, like a large flash, then a halo. That was a breathtaking sight, and it happened only once more at the end of the day.

Everyone was in a good mood. Lloyd himself was happy that he felt better. Of course, he wondered where his father went, but he was probably only walking around or something along those lines. He felt like seeing the moment, not to exactly dwell much on what happened apparently a week ago, but it still saddened him that Sheena... and Uncle Yuan...

"What's wrong, Lloyd?" asked the Chosen One, Colette, as she held her hands in her normal pattern. "Are you not happy?" Her voice sounded much worry, as if she was afraid of Lloyd feeling pain and falling into a relapse. Not that it could to a Seraphim like him, but he still had to make sure no one else knew that.

"Nah. Everything's fine, Colette! Physically fine!" he added with a smile.

His dad arrived right then, followed by a woman who was very angry. As in Yggdrasil/Mithos angry. As in SUPER angry. As in... you leave right about then angry. Yup. That angry. His red hair was fluffed up in its normal position, his stance normal, but... he seemed to be... irritated? _Weird._ Besides his dad was Noishe, who had appeared randomly after leaving for a little while. The green and white protozoan seemed to be ok after its encounter with Uncle Yuan, not showing any signs of injury, but his dad said that it was even more afraid of monsters that ever before. What could make a future dragon afraid?

"Kratos! Where were you? Who is she?" began Colette as she turned around to look at the elder woman. "Hello, madam. My name is Colette from Iselia. I am very well pleased to meet you."

Lloyd blinked at the woman, who was still raging outwardly. "How DARE you, _Kratos!_" She had actually hissed out Kratos with hate! _What a strange... and very daring woman!_ "How DARE you marry another woman with such low qualities like HER!"

She pointed straight at Raine.

Lloyd, Colette, Genis, and the Professor all went immediately into shock. Raine reacted first, of course. "I am most certainly _**not**_ Kratos Aurion's wife. That falls under someone else." Lloyd saw Raine tense up, gathering her fist into a fist. Genis had once stated this was her 'calm-self-down' phase that she only did when she was really, really frusterated. "Pardon me as well, Miss, but I am most certainly am a WOMAN with high qualities!"

The elder woman seemed to be distraught. "Answer my questions, _Aurion_!!! If she's NOT your new wife, then why are you hanging around with people old enough to be your children, and a woman old enough to be their mother under a lot of stress?!? White hairs don't come from nowhere, _Aurion_!"

Genis decided to come into the conversation as well. "Excuse me, but my sister and I are not Kratos's relatives in any way. We are also elves, so naturally, we will have different hair from the rest of the world, such as Humans like you." It was the first time that Lloyd had heard Genis take in such a tone. His eyes were getting narrower, and his attitude was getting harder. Lloyd knew it was probably because he had already experienced racism between the human and half-elfs, a racism he was glad that he never got into. (Except, now that he briefly thought about it... didn't Cruxis preach that humans were of the inferior species?)

The elder women seemed to calm down for a moment, addressing Genis and Raine. Her voice softened a little bit as she tried to smile at them. "I am so sorry then, little child and miss. Please forgive my actions that were brought about my thoughts. I just thought you might have been related to _Kratos_ here. I did not know that you were perhaps in one, of his many, so-called 'services.'" She was tight on that word as well. Lloyd could taste tension and bitterness...

But why?

Colette tried to calm everyone down with one of her genuine, 'I'm sorry' smiles that seemed to be something of a trademark of her. (Like his dad's fluffy, red hair.) "Yes, mam. We are in the services of Mr. Kratos. We are on-"

"-a pilgrimage," continued Genis, helping Colette out. "We come from the town of Iselia, far away, and are taken around to see the world and all of the great places for a pilgrimage. It's to settle our hearts, as well as the hearts of others. We were just on our way to see the Tower of Mana towards the north." He said everything with factual matters and nods of the head, trying to bring the temper down from Lloyd's dad's terrorizer.

They continued to talk, but Lloyd was curious. This woman had addressed his father, saying something about 'marrying another woman'. But... what did that mean? It couldn't be what he thinks it could be... right? "Mam," he began, making sure that he took a look directly at her to show that he was not intimidated by her, but did not want to seem cold either. His dad had an uncanny ability to make people seem lesser being by merely standing next to them, and Lloyd wondered if he picked that up at all. (He hoped he didn't at this current moment...) "How is it that you... know Kratos?"

That sure sent her off... "Why, I let that no good mercenary of a man take my daughter's hand! What else, he disappears with her, and THEN, he never returns! No news, no letters, no notes! Not even a little visit every once in a while! Now that he's back, he hasn't aged a bit, my daughter is not here, AND he expects me NOT to get mad? Only sick mothers would stop caring for their daughters. I have been worried about my little Anna for YEARS! Nearly **twenty** years!" Each word of that last few sentences made Kratos flinch slightly, and Lloyd saw that. Like a butter, poisoned knife that dug into the skin of his father's arm, digging deeper and deeper. The mercenary's son could tell his dad was not at all happy.

"Um... well... Something happened to Mom..." he began, trying to cover up for his dad.

"MOM?!?" she squealed. "As in _your_ mother?!?"

"Ugh..." He was beginning to think that maybe telling her that was not one of the best things to do. Apparently, not only was he inexperienced in stuff dealing with the lower worlds, but he had a large, blabbing mouth. His dad was giving him a different stare, but the woman's face was changing...

"So... Hmm... hmm... hmm... What's your name, darling little boy?"

"Lloyd... madam..."

She smiled at that. "Lloyd! What a nice name! I like it! Well, Lloyd, you _must_ come to my lovely little home with your friends! I will make you great cookies and we'll get to have some excellent grandmother-grandchild bonding time!" She swiftly turned her head as she left Lloyd confused. _Grandmother?!? Wait a minute... Dad said Anna was my Mom... this woman IS old and is not an angel, so... I have a human for a Grandmother? I HAVE a Grandma?!?_ "_Kratos_, I **suppose** you can come as well, but leave your mangy pet - " Noishe whined, "- outside. No... 'Noishes' inside the house, mister! I expect you to behave in proper utmost fashion, leave all signs of mud on your shoes on the entrance of the house patio, keep your 'mysterious' hair neat and clean, wash your face, comb your hair, have a bath, brush your teeth, do not smell, don't attract any bugs, AND wearing the proper attire!

"Now, my little new-found-long-lost grandkid!" she began as she was grabbing Lloyd's cheek and rubbing it back and forth with her two fingers, smiling happily. Lloyd was still stuck in a land of semi-shock, but he could tell his dad was still aghasted by something. On top of that, he had NEVER seen a women have so much nerve to stand up to a Seraphim of Kratos's level! She had more than guts...! She had... insanity... and she was bi-polar... "Come, come! You MUST tell me where you have been all these years! Tell me what you like! When is your birthday? I'm sure I can give you some neat items around the house for you to keep! .!!!! You look almost JUST like your mother! Except for your eyes. They are... _his_ eyes, but you make them so much happier!"

Insane or not, she had information about him mom, and he most certainly wanted that.

---

The house was LARGE. Compared to Welgaia, it was a small thing, but Lloyd's rooms were not as big as the whole house where his grandmother was dwelling in. Inside there was many little works of art that was an immense surplus of beauty. Statues of Martel were around, and that made him slightly laugh in the inside, but aside from that, they looked nice. It seemed that the elder woman was a religious fanatic, which made what she did to Kratos, his dad, even MORE hilarious.

Sure, it was not nice to see this going on, but he just couldn't help but chuckle...

It wasn't often, if ANY, that someone could order his daddy around!

"Wear THIS Kratos, as it seems you don't have enough fortitude to have any fashionable, _appropriate_ clothing on hand." Technically, he had his Judgment Cruxis outfit, but there was nothing being mentioned about THAT... "Also wear those shoes as well! Goodness knows how threadbare and hideous your shoes are! I SWEAR! You wore those same purple clothes when you came here eighteen years ago!" With that, she shoved some black clothing onto his arms. It looked almost what the books called a 'tuxedo', but Lloyd wasn't sure. She did the same for everyone else, but on much nicer tones. Genis was given small children's clothing that she swore she had hanging around, and Raine was given a ball gown of some sort that she claimed was her old one when she was young. That made Raine slightly sweat in nervousness, but she accepted it just the same. Colette was given an older one, but Lloyd, being unaware that the style was old-fashioned and ancient, had said the blue color looked good on her. She smiled, thanking his... Grandma(?!?) for getting her some clothes. (Saying sorry that she couldn't bring out any of her own.) Lloyd, however...

"I think red's a good color to wear on you, child! Why are you wearing something as flimsy as THAT?" she said as she pointed towards the simple white t-shirt that he was still wearing. (His dad was changing elsewhere silently... so he was with his new Grandma alone.) "Here, it seems that you are walking around for a while, and it seems you like to travel, so these are some nice traveling clothing!" With that, she handed over a red bundle, then smiled as she shooed him off towards a different room. As he was walking away, he overheard her saying something that was like "-ust like Anna, he must love to climb trees..."

The room was rather empty, perhaps a shell of what it used to be. In fact, the whole house seemed to be something that was old, but not really used often. This room even had the small layers of dust that was quite common down here in the world. Welgaia never had any dust for it seemed that an ageless life kept the skin particles from becoming dust. That, and his father never tracked in enough dirt form his trips to be worth noting at all. It was dark, but the brown head was all ready to see anyways. He glanced down towards his clothing to find it to be... neat looking.

It was a plain white cotton shirt, but it was thick enough to signify for a winter that was still upon them (although he couldn't feel the cold). It had a line of buttons going down the middle, but they were immensely small and white as well. With that on, he also realized that there was a red vest to place on top of his clothing, and he enjoyed that. (Red was rather nice.) It was held together with small little belts-like attachments made from the other side of the vest, with golden-bronze colored clasps. The vest rested down towards a little bit beyond his rear end, covering it up, and it was trimmed with the same color of the clasps. The t-shirt underneath was a long sleeved one, but it was loose enough to move his swords around nicely. (Of course, his father said his sword skills still needed some help even if his Mana was almost perfect.) There were some pants that was closer to midnight blue than navy blue, but that was good enough. Unlike his old outfit, which saddened him as it was ruined beyond repair - quick pang of grief that his own Uncle had betrayed him like that - or restoration, these boots were not high, nor were they covered in tiny, little silver buttons. Rather, they were red _little_ boots that reached a few inched above his ankle. Not as much protection, but not as heavy for more agile movements. Overall, he liked it.

Once he stepped out, there was his... Grandma. (It was still hard to think a human like that... He means... YAH, he knows now that his mother was a human, but it had yet to fully hit him. What if he WAS racist? Cruxis said humans were inferior, but... aside from the quick rawr fight with his dad, this one seemed nice. Of course, Yggdrasil always said that humans never looked the way they seemed... Unfortunately, that brought the teen's head towards the subject of Sheena...) "Aww... There's my handsome little man! All nice and dressed up to be suffice for ANY travels! It's also made of strong material, so don't expect it to break a whole lot, alright little sugar dumpling?"

"Ahh..." he blushed slightly. "Thanks... Grandma..." he muttered.

She squealed in delight as she once again grabbed his cheeks and rubbed it back and forth. ".!!!" she screamed again at the pain of Lloyd's ears for the **second** time that day. "BUT!" she added, stressing the word 'but' as if it was something vastly important. "BUT...! I have something _else_ for you to wear!" With that, she pulled out a thin, yet warm, white scarf and then wrapped it around Lloyd's neck. His eyesight could detect little white embroidered flowers (daisies) amid the cloth. Before he could ask, though, with raised eyebrows, she addressed him.

"It used to be Anna's when she was around. I made it for those days when she was really cold. When she just got up and left by being... taken by your... by _Kratos_, I did not have the time to give it to her. So, here you go, young lad!" Now, she was smiling. It seemed she was saddened by something when she brought up Anna's name... his mother's name. Maybe it was because somewhere inside her body, or her soul, she knew that his mother has died. (_What a happy thought..._ Lloyd though bitterly.) "There!" she exclaimed as she made Lloyd turn around in different poses so that she could see her grandson is new clothing. "Don't you look just so neat, proper, and finished! Now, come on downstairs where everyone else is waiting for our dinner!"

---

The dinner was being held in the main banquet hall. Kratos was standing still, looking at portraits hanging upon the wall, examining each and every one with a pang of guilt and grief. Each picture was striking closer to home then the last one. There were many pictures around this large, ex-merchant family home, but the ones he was currently looking at was not the ancestors of his wife's family, but rather, the pictures of the life before Desians or Cruxis had entered her life. It began with Anna being a small baby, looking red, rosy and happy. She had that same look that Lloyd did when he was little: that look of content, filled with admiration, and never being alone in the world. Sometimes Kratos wished she had never died... Following in order, there were her toddler pictures of her playing around with dolls. One picture showed her throwing dolls off a 'cliff', which was actually a small table in the living room. Once, in what seems eternity, she had explained that when she was little, she imagined her dolls were able to fly off the table like the 'Holy Seraphim'. He never told her the truth, never told her the actuality, of what was Kratos Aurion. Perhaps she had guessed it in the end, but...

"Kratos?" came a voice from the void. "What are you looking at?"

Suddenly aware that he was still in a home with others, he turned his head silently as he saw Raine standing there. She was wearing one of Ms. Irving's old clothing, the large ball gown that was hardly ever used, and she has staring right at him before looking at the pictures. "So... this must be Anna..." she muttered. "It seems she was very nice… and very human..."

He squeezed his hand into a fist tight, trying to take hold of the emotions. "Yes, that was her at a younger age," he added, saying nothing more. He even heard her mutter something, but it was 'Hmmm' more than anything else. It wasn't until he walked down the stairs towards the lower section of the hall when he heard her other small mutter: "So Kratos married a human... that _is_ interesting..." The Seraphim wondered what she was thinking, but did not allow himself to dwell upon it.

Lloyd ran in about then, throwing his hands around his father in a happy expression. "DAD-DY! Lookie, lookie! I'm wearing something new today! Grandma gave it to me!" He was being immature again.

Then again...

His Grandma...

She arrived in almost right after his son, coming in with her quick and small steps. "Lloyd has so much energy!" she exclaimed, talking to everyone but no one at the same time. "Now, dinner is served, so everyone to the TABLE!!!" As a last moment, she turned her head towards the man, addressing him in her cold voice that seemed to be reserved only for him. "Oh, and please tell me where Anna is, too, during the dinner discussion, _Kratos_."

It wasn't going to go pretty.

----------

_This chapter seemed to go too fast, now that I look back.  
Oh well! -laughs-_

_Retouched - [5.7.2009]_


	27. Chapter 27

_Angels of Cruxis  
by: Fehize_

----------

When the large disk of light manages to sink down into the suspense that is called 'horizon' by mortals, it manages to make one startling show before the rest of the world begins to fall in the dark. However, sometimes the dark is not as scary nor as unpredictable as people and legends say they are. In fact, they are sometimes beautiful, filled with little speckled pieces of shinning salt, hanging high up above in the false sky. Nothing seems to be wrong when one could just stretch their heads up towards the heavens and feel content. Eventually, the lavenders, purples, and midnight blues fall towards blackness, making no more shadows expect for some small parts where little lamps of burning fire fueled light around. Those shadows were elongated shadows, dark shadows, and it is in these shadows where it is said that the true darkness in everything come alive. Today, however, those dark objetcs were lifted from a certain large expansion of land in the region that is the City of Hope. Lights filled a certain part of a rectangle in a large building that was the color of cherry and blue. Outside, there was an old majestic-ness towards the home, despite the fact that in the daytime, everything looked old and slightly mistaken care of. Once people received to a certain age, unless thou were messengers of Martel's holy words, they could no longer take care of the material things they treasured. Instead, their hearts did it for them.

Inside, beyond the large doors that have motifs of singing angels and a lone Spiritua worn away by time to have nothing left but soft faces, there was a swooping staircase with a ruby red rug that was as old as the door outside. Many years ago, it might have been a more intense color, with darker maroon making extravagant details upon the floor in whirls of ivy, but years of trampling feet cause it to fade away into the memory of souls. Through the main corridor of halls, there was a large dining room that held a large, wooden oaken table. It seemed to be that there were glowing lights coming from the pictures on the walls, but the source was in truth some little candles that were burning around the middle of the table and from the lone chandelier hanging from the ceiling, where it collected dust after many years. It was a large table, but not too large to not hear the conversation from one end to another. On the left side was the master chair, where an elderly woman was sitting down in a dress that would be the envy of the whole town. Towards the opposite ends of her stern look was a man whose past would send shivers up and down any sane person's spine, allowing for one to think of the pure horror of his life before dying into darkness. Many secrets hid within this one man, too many in fact. Only one person has managed to remove most of those secrets, but even some were hidden and secluded from her.

One was his transformation into becoming a Seraphim. A holy being. An angel. A savior. A helper. A monster. A fiend. A demon. A lie. It was pain, pain far beyond anything that the Kharlan War threw at him.

Lloyd was spared because of his lineage. Kratos was born human, and was one of the first four to be turned into 'angels'. There was no lineage to help him.

In the middle of the table sat down two wooden gilded chairs on either side, made from precious woods from the far south. They were expensive woods that could only mean that this family was un-doubtfully very rich. Yet, such riches were long since gone or hidden away, for there were some things that keen eyesight could see that were not in the top condition. They have aged with time, unlike two beings inside the room. On the side towards the right of the elder woman was a teen who's hair seemed rusty colored in the dim candelabra light. His white scarf was thrown behind him to get out of the way from food that was being prepared in front of them. Towards the left of his side was a young grey haired child with little spokes poking up from each end. It was rather amazing that such hair could stay on the top like that, but it was best not to dawdle about things like that for a while. Opposite was a girl with blonde hair. She did not know that she had the same color as the leader of the supposed holy beings, nor that she was the one with the closest Mana signature for the past four thousand years to the acclaimed Goddess. The only one to get closer was a lone robotic green haired female on the other side of the world: Tabatha. Next to her was an older woman; a well-grown woman. She stood around, looking at the edge of the two people who were sitting at the heads.

There was dinner placed right in front of them, all pilled up and steaming. The white smoke-like entity rising above the surface. There was all types, ranging from vegetables to chicken; from pasta to fish. At the very center was the undeniable finishing piece: it was a large chocolate and vanilla cake, filled with strawberries and laced with the richest icing in Luin. A feast.

The elder woman had a large and empty plate in front of her as she was staring from one head to another. The red headed man could tell exactly what she was trying to do: intimidate him into something like a submission. It was a foolhardy thing for such a person like her to do because he was not normal. He could give glares just as hard back, and do it rather easily. It was a part of his life.

"So..." she began, cleaving those words to have a sharp point. "How does the dinner look, _Kratos_? Last I have checked when you were here, you refused to eat anything more than a few bites, and that was that. Nothing more insulting than that, I must say. You have some serious nerve, mercenary." Aptly, she changed her voice to make it seem like honey and milk. "Oh, Lloyd! My little gown grandson! What do you think of the wondrous food Grandma made for you there? Would you like to sample the cake first, or the food? You seem SO hungry!" She clapped her hands together as she pulled forth a pan of cookies. Kratos could see that each of them looked like gingerbread, and that each had a large smile face plastered down upon it. "Or, you could have these cookies first!"

Lloyd blushed, unaware of what to say. Both the Aurions could not each much as food was not needed in their systems, and here he was, expected to stuff his face full of food...

_"I swear, my little Anna-poo! What sort of things does your husband like? I can cook VERY well!"_

_"Mother! I tried explaining it to you..." Anna laughed right about then, making her eyes sparkle with some light more holy than the angel standing right next to her. "Kratos doesn't eat much more then a few bites, and we already ate before coming." She smiled at him with her eyes closed in that special way that was aimed only at him, the Seraph. "He doesn't eat much anyways."_

_"Nonsense! Young man, please sit down and eat from my wondrous food!"_

_Kratos politely declined. When the elder woman insisted even more, his voice got to be more firmer than normal - unless you knew his tone from Welgaia. "Honey, how could you marry such a hunk of rock?" he heard Anna's mother cry to her daughter, as if trying to make her daughter see something only she could see._

_"Mother!" came the whispered reply back. The exchange of words were only audible to themselves, and the unknown Seraphim who dwelled within their grasps. Yet, somewhere inside this normally emotionless man, there was a sigh._

And the mother-in-law never really forgave for never eating anything from her table, it seemed. Apparently, in Luin, that was almost a sacrilege. She was still giving out invisible daggers out to his heart, trying to stab him into his soul deeper and deeper. Unfortunately, they did not work as well as she hoped for, and it seemed that she knew that. So, for the moment, she went on ahead and took a look elsewhere, such as her grandson.

Kratos thought thoroughly for the moment. He had honestly believed this woman to be already dead. Apparently, she was not, for her figure was now trying to pile food upon the nervous teen's plate, even though he was trying to say he was ok and needed almost nothing. He knew one thing, however. It was the fact that he had to keep what happened to... Anna secret, lest the mother attempts to do something ballistic, and rather ignorant.

---

The meal went rather well with the exchange of polite words from the others (minus Lloyd, who was told to 'stop acting so stuffy!' by his Grandmother). There was just silence as the last plates were being taken away from the home's butler, who was almost as old and as aged as the grandmother in the distance. He left, with no more sounds of his feet hitting the floor below. The only thing left was a pile of vanilla pudding in a large bowl in front of Lloyd, who was eating as much as his little stomach could suffice. There was some tomatoes in today's meal, so Kratos didn't even mess with those. Of course, he didn't mess with any food in general, and that did not do anything to please the woman's mood. She, on the other hand, had managed to begin a talk with Genis, the Chosen One, and Raine. It was something dealing with trivial things that Kratos knew that he did not want to bother participate in.

Eventually, the time began when people normally sat down and began to talk.

And, so they began.

"_Kratos_, so... How old is you son here?" It was obvious that the two eldest people were going to be the domineering ones in the conversation.

"Lloyd is exactly seventeen years old."

"I see. When's his birthday?"

"On the first day of Spring."

"So, he has no real birth date?"

"I suppose to you the first day of Spring is not sufficient enough?"

"Hmph. Ok, let's try a different tactic. How about his favorite color?"

"You may ask Lloyd questions that pertain to himself, and ask questions pertaining to me. I am not Lloyd, therefore I cannot answer any more of these hypothetical questions of yours."

The elder woman seemed to be noting something as she nodded her head in a small way. "Hmm... Where do you work, then? Last I checked, you were a mercenary, running around with a confounded sword."

"My business is very important to a certain group of people. Such as the Chosen, and other things affiliating with her." Lloyd was still trying to push one more spoon of pudding down his throat. It was becoming to be hard to do for him, as he had already managed to eat three spoons. It did not take much to make Seraphim full when they nibbled on anything at all.

"I take it your still waving your sword around. Natural of you. I highly doubt you have enough brains to do anything else, whereas my wonderful daughter was a very smart gal." Kratos's mother in law could simply not know the extremes of his knowledge that he has spent more than four thousand years perfecting.

"My body has a certain limit for knowledge, just as every body does." Kratos just knew more than he let on, of course.

"So, where's Anna?"

The bomb fell. There was silence all around and the thoughts began once more... _Anna... Why am I still associated with Cruxis? Because they are helping the world. You went over this so many times already. But they - __**I**__ - killed Anna! Kvar, the filthy vermin, wanted her for Mithos! As a present so that he could rise himself higher towards the upper ranks in Cruxis society! MY Anna! The wife I killed! If I didn't kill her- Eventually, she would have died, Kratos, and you knew that. Or rather... if you managed to get her away from Mithos long enough, and helped her get enough physical and emotional action, then... she COULD have become and angel like you. She could have been an 'immortal' by now. However, then Mithos would have killed her for merely daring to become one, and would give her no mercy. Then, your son would have died as well for being the mere child of her._

_Mithos... would have killed Anna in any path I would have taken. He has become too... powerful for me to prevent that from happening. See, if you slowly deprive him from Summon Spirits, his omnipotent power begins to fail into darkness..._

_Mithos is saving the world, still._

_At the cost of humans. The cost of your people. The cost of your wife. Maybe... maybe it just might be the cost of your only son? Maybe Mithos is not saving the world, but only making it worse._

The echoes vanished, wafted away back into the area of the mind that is so fragile and insecure. A God of War; a Seraphim; a Holy Entity could only keep at bay thoughts that he knew were wrong. For four thousand years he has done this endless cycle. So far, there was already a world of anti-discrimination for half-elfs and elfs, half-elfs and humans. It was Derris Kharlan, the elfen world made of Mana. Yet, it was the WHOLE worlds that Mithos wanted this to happen. _If you let that happen, there would BE no more people... Anna, if Mithos had been successful earlier, would have never existed. Or, she might have been turned into a lifeless being, like you._ This time, the thoughts were shut tight.

"Dad? Are you ok?" came the call from his son across the end of the table. Kratos took a glance up, looking through his hair that covered his eye and faced the woman who had dared to attempt such a call back upon Anna. It was about time he tried to stop these questions. He wanted no more.

"I am fine, Lloyd. As for your question, Miss - as I can see your husband has been killed a long time ago by natural or unnatural causes - Anna is currently resting inside a small area outside... outside Iselia." Anna was resting... resting in peace.

Something clicked within the woman's head. She pushed her chair backwards and then stood up in a wild-like fashion. "How DARE you lie to me, _Kratos AURION!_ How DARE you!" She raised her pointed finger towards Kratos's head and was shacking. Her eyes were bugged out and were wider than the lake around the area. "I have HEARD, from **passing** TRAVELERS-!!!!!" She was screaming now, and her voice had drowned out almost all other sounds. His ears were in pain, but his soul was in something worse. "I HEARD...! _**I HEARD THAT ANNA, MY LITTLE GIRL, IS **__**DEAD**__**! KILLED! BURIED IN A GRAVE IN THE ISELIA FOREST! DEAD! MY LITTLE, LITTLE GIRL! NOW, YOU HAVE MY GRANDSON! MY ONLY LINK TO MY SWEET ANNA! MAY THE ANGELS FROM HEAVEN **__**DESTROY**__** YOU, YOU DAMNED MAN! YOU DID NOT PROTECT HER!"**_

Everyone was all up in shock and in surprise, their mouths either held shut by supreme emotions or open in the symbol of an 'o'. The seemingly docile woman had suddenly turned violent. However, before anything else happened, she slammed her fists down upon the table and then was sobbing loudly. She lifted her head up gingerly, and then ran towards Lloyd with open arms. "Oh, my little baby! My little baby! I am so sorry about you loss! You probably never can remember her! I pity you so much! My little baby, my sweet little grandson! Oh oh oh oh oh!!!!!!!! May all the angels and high holy Seraphim comfort you in their mighty expanse of wings! May you hear her voice! I hope Martel will give you the strength to carry on! I-"

She collapsed right then, lying flat into the arms of the stunned Lloyd. Lloyd didn't even need to scream, for his father could hear it in his heart. He got up as well to rush after the fallen woman, being followed by the healer and her sister, and the Chosen One. Raine reached the body first, taking the grandmotherly figure out from the quite Lloyd. His brown eyes were wide open, the innocence of his soul being half-way stripped out. Lloyd immediately embraced his father, who was there right before it seemed that his son was going to collapse.

"She's... she's _dying_," came the small voice from the Professor as she pulled away her hand. "I... I can do no more to help her. It's a cardiac arrest... and I am not yet skilled enough... enough to..."

The Chosen One and Genis both gasped, both breathed in air as if it were their last ones.

---

There was a single lamp in the large room that was said to be the grandmother's. It gave off a very faint light that would not do very well in making normal people see form one place to another, but it was there to prevent the woman from having any ill discomfort in her last few hours, minutes; seconds. The figure was rested down upon a comfortable bed, filled with silks and satins and fluffy pillows. She was sweating, she was panting, and she was grey for those that could see her clearly. Her dulling eyes reflected almost no more light.

There were only two figures in the room. One was a red headed mercenary, and the other was the grandchild. The grandkid was there, close towards the elder woman, holding onto her hand. He was still silent, not yet muttering a single word since her falling in his arms.

"A...ah... L-Lloyd... You... You are.. so... nice... to stay with me... Say that I'm... sorry.. to you... father..." It came out of a mild gasp, but was audible for them both. She, however, could only see the child-like features of the teen in front of her. "I-I... was enraged... that... my child... died... He... was... on the w-wrong... end... I p-placed... too much blame... on him..."

There was silence for a while as Lloyd took a gentle look down the woman's face. "G... Grandma?"

She gave a warm smile. "M-May... I hear... something special... about you? A... a talent? A... wish? A... gift? Do.. Are you like your... m-mother...? Smart? ... O... Or... Have you... ... ... ..." The half-elf healer was correct in saying that she was at the end of her life here on the world.

Lloyd was silent for only a few moments. "I... I think you can see, Grandma. I think you would like to see this..." Kratos knew what was going to happen. Yet, there was something inside that said he had to follow suit. It was still Anna's mother...

His son had unfurled his green-blue and silver wings from his back as they flashed into existence. There was a soft, almost silent croak coming from the woman as she raised her hand slowly to feel the tips of the wings. With small steps, the father also stepped in closer.

"Y-You are... an... angel...? A... Seraphim...? My... g-grand...son... a... ... ... ... ... Holy... Being..." She was dying, but that did not mean that she was losing her mind completely. She slowly, with much work and agony, turned her head towards the Angel of Death. "Y... You... Anna... was never... an... angel... A w-wonderful... human... T-That... You... are... a Seraphim...?"

Kratos lowered his voice, making it so soft only the elderly could hear it in their special ways of hearing. "I am Kratos Aurion, one of the Grand Seraphim," he whispered softly. She was a believer in a church who were going to kill these people into unified beings. Yet, she believed something. It was best that she rested in some faith that was not true and have some sort of morals between what was good and what was bad. "Lloyd is my son, and we are both from Cruxis."

It was manipulative, yes, he was aware of it, but it was what she wanted before she died, happy that she managed to see beings that she thought were completely opposite of what they were said to be.

---

The sun was beginning to shine high above the group's face as they were already one day's travel away from the City of Hope. There was a wind from the lake that stirred everyone's hair into little fabrics of string. In fact, it seemed to be that the wind was cold and bitter, but that was because the wind was slowly beginning to take a change towards the northern wind. The group of people, consisting of Seraphim, half-elfs, and one human-turning-angel, were nearby some small expanse of woods that was too small to be named into anything. There was not the great expanse of green light that came from forests, but rather, a small bit of white sunlight.

"Kratos, where are we heading towards?" came the question from Colette as she took her head up to see through the hair that prevented one from viewing his face completely. After the death of the grandmother, there seemed to be some sort of silence going about between the family. So, she had tried to cheer Lloyd up some more. He, naturally, said it wasn't really pain or guilt he was feeling, but more to the fact that he had her in his arms. She wondered if that would make a person scarred, but she decided to try to make him smile by messing up on her chakarms when trying to get a plant. The brown headed son of an angel laughed, like she had hoped.

Up ahead, in the distance, rested the Tower of Mana. It's shadow was hidden by the large mountain that was next to it, and Kratos had stated that it would take a week's walk to be at the gate. It seemed like a long time, but she knew that it was one step closer towards... saving the world.

"The priests in Luin's Church of Martel said that in the middle of the Tower, there was an alter that had angelic writing on it. Naturally, this place might be the next location of a possible seal." His voice was the same, silent and calm. Kratos's purple cape was floating behind him in a fashion that made him seem like a swallow in flight.

--------  
_  
[Old Edited Notes]_

_So, yes, I killed the grandma. I know, it was mean and heartless, but it had to be done. I wanted to stick this Grandma story, but I also had to make sure that she wouldn't come back. Therefore, sadly, she had to die.  
Was still fun typing her, though not as fun as the old man! -winks-_

_Review and Stuff! -throws puppy eyed Kratos chibi at you for pleadness-_

_Retouched - [8.14.2009]_


	28. Chapter 28

_Angels of Cruxis  
by: Fehize _

---

There was the sound of the wind burning through the trees that made the soft whistle. It moved the rest of the grassy floor below them in a fellow rhythmic pattern, moving waves of gold and orange below the bright blue sky. Over and over these winds blew, and no one knew where they came from. They were eternal, like the sky high above, and like space with all of its heavenly bright bodies. The sun had just risen over a few hours earlier, and the light was coming on in with a bright outlook of the world. There were birds singing, from those that did not fly away towards the more sun-filled areas of Palmacosta, and there were those brave few butterflies that fluttered here and there. Like the great expanses of ocean nearby, with all of their foams and glory, the trees moved their tops in fellow fashion. Winter was here, yet the trees did not choose to believe so, as they were still holding onto their last coverage. The only things showing the sign of the coming cold was that the trees were beginning to change colors into gold and orange.

There was a pass of white leaves that went by the figure of a fair haired girl. She was roughly young enough to be called either a young teenager, or a girl, but walk she did nevertheless. Her mission was to save the entire landscape from death, but one could not tell that from a first glance. Sometimes, she was even unsure herself!

Her golden hair moved around and stirred with the wind as she arched her head upwards to see a tall mountain that had white in the middle of the deepest gullies and crest of the mountain. It was tall, and deep within her she wondered if she could spread her wings and fly high above. What a sight that would be! Of course, to share it with Lloyd would be the nicest thing she could think. He didn't seem upset, but there was a note of - unhappiness? - in his voice. The charisma was not as much as normal, and he was also missing that extra jump in his step that he always had when he was walking down the almost invisible roads. If she could carry him up with her, she would make him feel better high up there. He might like that view. _It's so sad, though..._ she thought with a hint of sadness. _Lloyd only has a father... At least... Yes, my... father... is Lord Remiel, the holy angel who gave me my Cruxis Crystal to begin my Journey of Regeneration. But... I at least had a fatherly figure in Frank, and a caring Grandmother who love me very much. I knew them all since I was little... I wonder is Lloyd can even remember his own mother. It's so sad... He's such a nice person who really does care, and he had a horrible experience. I really do hope he gets better. I'm so sorry for your loss, Lloyd..._

"-tos? Kratos?" came a voice from the Professor, who was walking in front of them all. Her orange clothing, washed and clean in Luin before they left towards the area northward, was gently flapping in the wind: their black underside showing in a sharp contrast to the golden green color upon the floor. Her hair was doing the same thing, and it was almost as if the wind was making her hair move in a certain direction without ruining her hair style. Odd thing today, the wind was. Also, if Colette didn't save the world... there might not be any more wind.

"What is it?" was the response back in the typical manner that the Chosen of Mana has heard many times in the past. _Kratos's wife died... Would she have been saved if the world was regenerated? Would there have been what Raine said? Magi-technology that could create wonders for people. Oh Spiritua... Highest and first Chosen, please help me to save the world less more Anna's happen... I'm so sorry, Kratos. If only I was born earlier, I could have saved you grief. May Goddess Martel cover you both with her grace._

"I have been thinking about something that has been intriguing me: mainly two things, three if you include one little thing that deals with half of you, but two in a sum up. One of them is..." With the ending of that sentence, she turned around to face Kratos and Lloyd, making the grass stop momentarily before find another route to sway in the wind. "I want to know... who are you? Really? You never talk about anything in your past unless it is thrust up into your arms. Naturally, I am very curious."

Genis nodded as well. Even the golden haired teenager had to nod as her white clothing tasseled about slightly. Kratos was such a mysterious figure, a mysterious man, and an even more mysterious mercenary. There DID seem to be something important that he was not telling, but wouldn't that mean Lloyd was hiding something as well? _No, not Lloyd. He would never lie to me._ Thus, doing what the two youngest always did when there was a stranger in town, they huddled around Kratos with large eyes.

"Come on, Kratos! PLEASE tell!" cried the elf.

"Oh, please, Kratos. May I please hear a story about your life?"

Raine stood in about here. "I have to agree with the children," she ended with a sigh. "I _am_ curious about you in an informative sense."

Colette noticed his red hair move slightly as he brought his head down to look at all of them. (Kratos was a tall man, and it was apparent that Lloyd had inherited that tallness from him.) "Whatever it is that you wish to learn, that I allow you to learn, you have already heard from two sources. Both were crazy in their own way, but nothing else from that is worthy of talking on this trip." The Chosen One knew that this was Kratos-talk for "I no longer want to recite on this information anymore", but she couldn't help herself.

She kept bugging him all the way towards the base of the Tower of Salvation, with Genis no doubt, making sorrys just in case.

---

"I need a boat."

There was a man wearing blue fishing clothing and a little bandera. He had muscles, but nothing about them claimed her eye. What DID was the fact he had the only boat to go across the land, and boy, did she need a boat. First of all, it was the only way to travel towards Palmacosta, and second of all, there was no way she was going to walk through the northern part of the world to get to a city just across a meager sea! There was the _**world**_ at stake here!!!

So, she needed a boat, and this man – Max? Peter? Bob? Who cared much… - was the only one. What else was there to do but ask? After all, she had escaped from prison, the desert, and crossed the pass. Nothing was to stop her.

His brown hair flew up as he took a look at the green haired Anna. Her hair was flowing in the sea breeze, but only a few strands or so. Her black and white outfit, along with the little staff that she had managed to steal from a mage bandit before changing it to look like Martel's, with all of it's flourishes jingled about as her coat rested rigly upon her shoulders. Contrary to his, she seemed undeniably rich and a little bit outlandish. (The cloth that her outfit was sown from WAS silk, after all. Very expensive, it seemed, and she was happy that she had just cost Yuan fortune-tellings and roughly fifty grand in cloth materials.) "Er... Ma'dam, the waters are very dangerous, and I am not sure if..."

She pulled out her pouch and reached in to take out one of the smallest gems she could suffice. In this small place - it was smaller than Triet! That was rather shocking - of water and fish, this little gem could go quite a long way. She carefully placed it into the hands of the man and then gave a little nod. "I wish to reach Palmacosta as fast as you can managed. Can you arrange it?"

The man took a glance down upon the little red stone and then took eyesight up at her. "Umm... Ma'dam... I don't know..."

_What?!?_ she thought. Apparently, he couldn't be bribed around, which slightly infuriated her, but she had to keep a calm face for her "Martel Act." _WWMD? WWMD? __**W**__hat __**W**__OULD__**M**__artel__**D**__o?!? Aha..._ "Oh, please sir. You don't understand. You do know that the Chosen of Regeneration has begun, right?"

The man seemed stunned by the news. "She has?!?" It was apparent that he did not know, but the news still gave more or less the same effect that she desired. "That's wonderful! May the Great Goddess and her angels guide her to success!"

"I understand your happiness, sir, but..." She turned her head left and right to make a more dramatic approach. It would seem like she was telling a great secret, when in truth she was only acting. (One of the things you learned as a fortune teller: ACT, and act well. Not acting would make the customers unhappy, and everyone knew that a happy customer made for one happy ruby at the end of one happy Anna.) "But... have you heard of the group called the Renegades?"

The man shook his head in a "no" pattern, confused and curious as to what she was going to say. _Good. You should be curious with MY act._ "These Renegades are a special force group stemmed from the Desians," not true, but they were both evil to her opinion, "and they are out to assassinate the Chosen. I am here, sent from a place you cannot dare fathom," not true, too, as a desert was easily noticed in a memory aside from the heat, "and I was sent to send the Chosen a warning that a mere horse could never send in time due to the rough travel. It's a warning from the future!" Lies, lies, and more fabricated lies. No, lying was NOT exactly one of the things she liked to do, but it was necessary. While she was here, the Chosen One could be running for her life! She needed help from the clutches of the vile Yuan and his hoard of fellow Yuan-ites. Martel may be a whole bunch of hogwash strung together, but the Chosen was real, and without the Chosen One, there was no life. Dying was not exactly on the top of her list.

"The Chosen One is in danger! Oh that poor girl!" He began to seem to think about something in much fervor. "I will do **whatever** it takes to help the Chosen! As luck might have you, there is another group of four around this area or so who wanted passage towards Palmacosta because of a pilgrimage. Since I'm taking you over there, I think it would be best if they come as bodyguards. You - pardon me, Ma'dam - do not seem to be ready for such a long passage towards the Chosen, and there is bound to be many mercenaries to help you out in the city that is to come."

Bowing thanks, "Martel" (a.k.a. Anna) raced back towards the inner part of the small fishing port, Izoold. There was a nice fishy smell, some unique that could never be matched in the realms of a desert, and there WAS some people that were not from around commenting on it. It was quite obvious they were not from this area as they all had some sort of complaint or another... _As long as I get on that boat!_

The four were all huddled together in one large group. There was a blonde haired woman with a blue cape around her shoulders with silver embellishes. Underneath that was a blue little robe, as well as a light silver staff. Her blue eyes seemed innocent enough, but they also seemed to be hiding something (and Anna didn't want to find out what that was...). Next to her was this strong, buff looking man that apparently had a scowl that never faded away. He was wearing black and maroon colored clothing, and... needed some sort of haircut. On the other side was a small woman that had her hands placed together in a graceful pattern, and she was wearing a brown shirt with a green skirt that matched her burgundy hair. There was not much detail there, compared to her apparent comrades. FINALLY, there was a mysterious man with a cloak and a really big bow on his back and a small sword on his side.

"Excuse me, pardon me," Anna began as she eyed every one of them. "There is this man who said he would take me on the boat towards Palmacosta if you guys come with me. Would you mind?"

The large man with all muscle stared at her. "You have gotten passage on the boat? How did you ever manage to do that?" he muttered with another scowl. (Was it her, or did his voice always seem to have some sort of "I Hate You" approach?) "We asked for permission and he refused. So, NOW he's letting us go?"

The blonde slapped him slightly. "Now, Loido, you should know better than that. We are a special group sent to help the world. Think, we are here to help people. Isn't that right, Miss? Martel wants to help every single one of us." She raised her eyes to face Anna, who was staring back. "My name is Jineasa, a mage via the help of Black Aionis, and these are my friends. Loido is the leader of the group and is an excellent duel swordfighter." She then pointed towards the burgundy woman. "This is Coletta, a wonderful woman who is insanely shy. Please forgive her for that. She likes to fight with small boomerangs made of sharp edges and is quite skilled in what she does." Finally, she then left her finger to trace off towards the cloaked figure. "This here Krantus, our mercenary that is immensely skilled in swords and as well as some magic that isn't as strong as mine... yet."

Krantus, with his weird sounding name that resembled something... _What is it?_ Anyways, Krantus turned to face Anna with a look of distrust. He raised his arm with a swift movement. "Mam, may I ask your name?"

Anna blinked and then sucked in her breath slightly. "My name is Martel," she added with a nod, making sure that her staff flourished in the correct way.

"H...How beautiful, Miss" said Coletta. "Like the Goddess?" _My... at least they got the hint! That's good for me!_

Anna nodded. "Sorta," she said with a gleeful look.

Loido turned to look at her as well as Jineasa. "Well, I think we could help you if you get us on that boat towards Palmacosta. We have a very important thing to do once we reach there, and Coletta here must see the city's mayor." He ordered everyone around into a circle. "Ok, everyone!"

Krantus butted in right then with his super deep and serious voice. "You are too inexperienced for this job, Loido. I was hired for this, and I will protect Coletta." He turned as his cloaked fluttered in the wind. "Lady Martel, we will travel with you until we reach Palmacosta, provided if you get us on the boat. Please do not fret for your life as we are all trained professionals. You could say that the Chosen of Mana is watching over you."

Hell if the Chosen was watching over her, Anna! SHE was the one watching over HER! "Then, let's get going!" She threw her finger, slightly - _WWMD!!!_ - off towards the sea. "Here I come, Palmacosta!"

---

The sides of the building itself was a wonder to behold. High did Kratos have to stretch his neck to see, even though it was nothing when compared towards the height of the Tower of Salvation. It was a bronze color, maybe with a tab bit of gold, and was glittering in the sunlight. There were some lights that were once lighted by Volt's power when the world was fused together, but that was such a long time ago; they were just decoration for the front doors now. Though the building itself was rather large and wide (as tall as the mountain it resided next to), the door to enter was short. It was a mere electric blue - the color of the Holy Seraphim's own wings - and was locked shut.

That caused for groans.

"Great. NOW how are we to go on and enter?" moaned Genis slightly as he waved his hand around. "There seems to be no way in from here, and it isn't like we have the key to enter."

The red head turned around to see the many things that were in the area. There was nothing the seemed like a key, even though he knew that it was one large, golden one. He could recall the time when he was with Mithos, Yuan, and Martel in the journey to save Aselia – the name of the land that no longer exists. Of course, now it would have to be in the hands of the priests in Luin, which were a long walking distance away of roughly a week. _That is a whole week wasted in our time, and I cannot afford to waste such time in a frivolous manner. If this Chosen One fails, then Mithos would surely become enraged and just might make every lower angel on Welgaia wish they would have died…_ Such a very un-Cruxisy though came up around then as well, but he still managed to ignore it.

Raine was busy looking at the door, and then turned her head around to look at Kratos. "What do you think about this door, Kratos? Do you think the key might be in this general area?" Her white hair was beginning to stop moving, and deep within, Kratos sensed a coming sleet storm, which was not something that the Chosen needed right before battling the monsters that were to come.

His red eyes scanned the door, looking from one angel towards the other. The door itself was made of some ancient technology to prevent the passing of Mana and therefore, protecting the inside objects from possible thieves. However, a key was just a bunch of earthen Mana strung together to make a physical object. Then again… the door seemed to be at quite a poor state since the times of the War. Now, it was apparent that it was weakened to a lower form of what it was, which meant…

"Genis, Lloyd?" he began as he turned his head to face both of them. "I need you to both do Eruption on this door one right after the other. I am afraid that there is not enough Mana is this one little area to support all three of you at once, so you must time your attacks carefully."

"What are you thinking of doing, Kratos?" asked the Chosen as she turned her head to face him. "Burning the door down?"

Raine jumped up at that moment. "That would be impossible! The amount of Mana that was made for this door is such a high amount that it REPELS Mana! It was designed so that it would not burn down with three Mana wielders and-"

Kratos started his blast, which was then followed by the Mana circle of Lloyd, and ended by Genis. With the combined heat on a door that was over ten thousand years old, the blue door gave away into oblivion. There was a release of Mana from it, making some of the land flourish in the sense of the molecular level for at least a few moments. "Let's get going in before the sleet arrives, everyone."

Raine had to eat her words.

---

The inside of the building was FILLED with books, but even with all of that knowledge that was hanging around, just waiting to be read, there was something that Raine was pondering about that was much bugger than mere books in a tower that was blessed with time.

There were a certain two angels – perhaps even Seraphim! – inside this very room, with immense Mana signatures that they had to be hidden! There were two people who have seen Martel in all of her splendor and grandness! It was unbelievable when she first thought about it, but as she began to study the both of them from afar, she noticed that there were signs that both of them were something far more than Humans, Elfs, of even Half-Elfs. No. There was something that seemed to be un-earthly about them.

For one, she had never seen Kratos sleep. At first, she had placed it under the category of Demonism, but now she had to rethink her ideas. (That was something that she did not do often** at all!**) Every night, he was always there with some excuse or another as to how he could do the night shift, claiming it to be on his skills of being a mercenary for so many years. (Lloyd seemed to fall asleep. Perhaps he was faking it though?)

Secondly, Kratos and Lloyd, when they were rarely hit, never really flinched in pain. It was as if they couldn't feel it, which was something odd. Demons could feel, but did that mean angels couldn't? (Note: Angels – at least the Higher Order of Seraphim – may not have the capability to feel or sleep. Further research needed. Colette equals possible specimen when not viewing Kratos/Lloyd as she is turning into an angel. Possible link?)

Third, and maybe the last, they both never seemed to eat anything. Lloyd, she remembered as she flicked her hair in a certain pattern, could only manage a few bites of his food at Luin (Goddess Martel on that old woman), and when they were traveling, he never seemed to eat! The same went with Kratos, who was sometimes giving his food, little by little, towards Noishe. (Speaking of Noishe… Note: Noishe does not equal dog. One hundred percent positive on that. Just not sure of WHAT it is.)

Finally, the real last point, was the fact that they were both from Cruxis. They were both ready to save the world in secret, and were both heavenly! They might know so many things! So much knowledge! The only logical reason as to why they have not revealed themselves towards them is perhaps they are supposed to act like everyone who lived down here on the world…

---  
_Long Information Below! You have Been Warned!!!  
_  
_Yes, please keep tabs on Loido, Jineasa, Krantus, and Coletta. -cough-theywerenotnamedinthegamebutIgavethemnames.Youmightknowthemifyourackyourbrainsaround-cough-  
-winks- They'll be appearing more than once... -cough-hinthint-cough-  
NO, they are NOT OCs! _

Goin' on...

You know everyone? I was re-reading all of the past chapters that I have written for Angels of Cruxis, and I have realized that my writing/typing skills have improved (and some of the non-coherent sentences have been extracted)! -nods- That's good, but I still have mistakes. -laughs-Did you know (I'm sure you do) that the Alert/PM system isn't working? So, here I go trying to PM my Beta...and I can't get a response 'cause the PM system is down (I don't even know if she got my PM. XD). So, yup, expect my Beta next chapter! -nods-  
On the bright side, it pleases me a LOT to know that you guys are still out there, and that makes me feel like a good writer! Anyways, did you guys know that AoC is my first ToS fafic? -nervously sweats- Yup, which makes me feel odd and happy at the same time.  
On other news, there are some major things coming up again, like end of the year finals which actually begin on the end of April with the beginning of May, as well as those darn AP tests. -nods- So expect slower updates until the beginning of the summer break. Hopefully, I won't be swamped trying to do other things. -nods-  
Well, that's enough chit-chat, except expect (wow, those two words look alike. lol...) another fluffy (-cough-character development-cough-) chapter next, dealing with the intro of someone that has been used only in one chapter!  
Oh! The storyline is improving! Expect more stuff, but the biggest changes are to come once our group reaches the Tower of Salvation for the final seal. Muwahahahahaha!

P.S. I got some kinda/slightly bad news here (aside from the testing ones).  
At my home, we have two computers. Now, one is ALWAYS used by my brother for "homework" (a.k.a. viewing random video game stuff on youtube) and no matter how many times I tell mom, she doesn't believe me. Anyways, thus my sister and I constantly use the second one.  
Now, this second computer is housed in our playroom, which was made as an extension from our outer wall. Thus, that made the only two power plugs ones that used to be outside (also known as really old things from houses build in the early 80's). For almost four months, we had the computer plugged in and nothing happened. Then, on a few days ago... there was a power surge and that computer went... PLIP! As in POOF! As in FRIED!  
This was because the computer was not connected to a power surge protector that was connected towards the wall, BECAUSE of the fact that we forgot it was not connected towards our power strip in the house. (Our inside - and better - computer is.) They are actually two different circuits, thus making our good computer safe, fortunately.  
UNfortunately, our second one (the one I use sometimes at home to type and draw and stuff) doesn't even want to turn on. Hopefully, it is just the circuit breaker that flipped off, and not the fact that our computer fried out internally.

How is that occurrence important to you guys? Well... for one, I had my flash drive connected into it as I was working on this current chapter. I had finished, but I saved only halfway. So, yah, I lost half the chapter. -sigh- At least I didn't loose everything in it. -kisses flash drive- Don't laugh! It has my final project for school as well as my fanfics! -nods-

-runs away back towards the computer before she kills you all to death due to random typing-

REVIEW! -throws ice cream as it is 90 plus outside Fehize's house-


	29. Chapter 29

_Angels of Cruxis  
__by: Fehize_

---

Noishe was thirsty.

Here he was, traveling all around the world for goodness knew how many days, doing absolutely nothing expect wag his tongue around! There was his best buddy, who was walking in his most awesome of poses with the super sharp sword hanging down from his hip, but he seemed to have that dull "I-don't-want-to-play" look. Noishe _definitely_ did not like that look, for with that look usually came with the fact that his buddy wanted to just sit and ponder about his past...

Again. Trust his best buddy to turn angsty!

There was a warm, spring in rising through the gently rolling hills that were the outskirts of Asgard. Normally, this place was bloody cold, but for today, Noishe was happy that he had his thick wad of fur with green spots. His best buddy, of course, didn't need anything. This was cool, because he could remember the times when his buddy had to curl up near a warm fire in layers of warm clothing. It reminded Noishe of his earlier days (yes, so the little protozoan was old! He could remember lots of stuff, like the Kharlan War; which he _should_ remember. The Neflim War, which was really bad, and the coming of the first humans, which he **might** have "accidentally" eaten three...of them...). There was snow on the mountains towards the far north, but only on the high altitudes that existed on those large, non-chew toys. He knew, he had tried chewing on them for a few moments before realizing they tasted bad and were **hard**.

Today, his best buddy was acting all mercenary-pro again. This meant that his buddy was walking around in something resembling purple spandex and a little cape that was **always** fun to bite when the red head was busy looking elsewhere. There was nothing in the area as they were still out in the goonies, but Noishe was still happy that he had finally gotten out of that large, bloody tall bone. His buddy called it the tall bone the "Tower of Salvation," but what Salvation had no good bones?

"Alright, Noishe," began the calm voice that came out of the man. "We are going to enter Asgard, but I am sure you know that already. You may want items that relate to dogs or puppies, but you are still as smart as a human in there. First of all, stop trying to chase and whine Katz away."

"Whine..." chasing Katz was always the fun thing to do, especially when they had something called "Grade" inside their pockets.

"Understand?"

"**W**h**i**n**e**..."

---

Noishe was _still_ thirsty.

Asgard was just as tired and as boring as the little green and white "animal" thought it was going to be: I'm-going-to-die boring. The only thing of interest was something called the "Ritual Panel," that was on the far end of the city. There was this thing on four columns that looked like some sort of cross between Pronyma and a sad excuse for a joker in a deck of cards. Not chew toy material either, as it also looked like a clown. Clowns were creepy. The thing was short and made of something close to chalky grey, or sooty grey.

Noishe was still following his buddy around, as there was not much to do. Yadda, yadda, yadda; whine, whine, whine. The jobs that his buddy received were simple jobs—after all, his buddy was: a) a Seraphim, b) cool, and c)the awesomest owner alive, even if he did have a need for a bit of happiness here and there—and were done within a few moments, occasionally days. As a mercenary, his buddy had to do the things that people paid him to. Often, they were like "Can you get me some of them there Pellets in them there monsters?" or "Can you get me a Magical Cloth for my wife?" People once had the nerve to ask him things like "Can you get me some nuts from the tree?" or "Can you help me hit this carpet to clean it out?" Woah! If there ever was a thing to get his buddy more upset than **those** questions - aside from Mithos on his tantrum days - it would have been dead already. He was a sell-sword when he wasn't being an angel, and the protozoa knew that his buddy hated being an angel sometimes. Sell-swords DO NOT do 'Honey Dos', absoluetly not!

His buddy hated chores. Never would he do them. Ever.

---

There was the crackle of fire as three figures and a "dog" curled up underneath a nice roof in a small, mountain village. The lights from the outside were barely coming in, filling the area with the promise of a new day. This light hit the sleeping form of something that was only distinguishable by the brown tuft sticking out. Next towards the tuft was someone sitting up in bed, with his red eyes taking in the morning. No, he did not sleep that night, but it still was nice to be lying down and relaxing amid family.

"Kratty..." came a small cry from underneath the covers."Why...do you wake up...so earlyyy?"

The question came out in the form of a small yawn as the redhead, a man-Seraphim-called "Kratty," reached down and gently stroked the hair away from the brown fuzzed figure who spoke. "Don't you g-get any sleep at alllllllllll?"

"Sometimes," he responded, "and you shouldn't be trying to waste away the whole morning."

"Mommy. Hungrys."

"Y-You're allllllllllllways...hungry," came out another yawn from the woman as Kratos stood up from the bed and silently walked downstairs, after patting his protozoan's head.

There was a nice sun shining, promising a great day filled with few clouds. It was a perfect time to see the holy land that was the Holy Ground of Kharlan, but this man could see the impression of where the tower should be. It was there, but there was a Mana shield preventing anyone from seeing or entering it. Even Seraphim could only see it from twenty feet away, but it was not as if the adult _wanted_ to see it. Why? There was no "Heaven" up there in Welgaia. Though the thought was a bit romantic, this man believed Heaven was right here in this house with his family. How "Holy" was the fabled Holy Land if there was death and wrongness written all over it?

With quick ease and grace, this man did something that three years ago he would have never considered. He grabbed his end of an axe and began to chop down wood for a fire to cook and one later that evening for the coming cold. With each swing, he managed to work what the average human would be envious of; after all, his working speed was something to awe at - granted if he wasn't looking at you. It was a rhythmic pattern, but he was still at peace with the world. In fact, his red hair bounced slightly as he turned around to face the woman that stood right next to him.

Kratos was still in a bent down position with the large, wood axe, so for a few seconds his wife towered over him. His red eyes glanced up to look at her slender figure as his eyes gentled slightly.

"Good morning again, Anna."

She, naturally, bent down and gave the Seraphim a small peck on the cheek, unaware that often he could never really feel it. It was, however, the thought that counted anyway. Once that was done, she nestled right besides his ear and then handed him a basket.

"Kratty, sweetie? Can you _pretty_ _**please**_ take this bag of laundry and hang it as I cook breakfast?" She did not purr, but there was the icing. "Pweese?" And the cake.

The male stood up and nodded slightly as he handled the bundle with a more stable pose.

"Anna, must I always do your chores?" he joked around. The voice that usually came with jokes, the one filled with joy and laughter, was not accompanied with the comment. This man didn't need it, for his eyes were good enough for the woman as she gave him an encouraging hug.

With a swiftness that only she could devise, his wife poked him on the nose. "You shouldn't be so susceptible to lambisaks." With that, she gave one of her laughs and then turned around to head back indoors where their small child was waiting for his morning breakfast. The child's small cries could be heard wafting from the kitchen.

Once Kratos's wife went back inside the house, he turned around and then faced the backyard. Within a few steps, he eventually reached the clothing line. As if she was expecting the Seraphim to do what she "begged" him to, there were the little wooden clips lying on the side of the wooden post where the hanging wire was strung from. After he grabbed them, he began to hang, one by one, the different assortment of shirts, shorts, pants, dresses, stockings, sweaters, and yes, underwear. To keep up with the speed of which he was hanging them, he had to place those little wooden holding pins in his mouth, holding them there with his lips.

If Mithos was there, he would have died of a heart attack.

Hell, a squirrel with spoon could have attacked the Lord of Angels.

"Daddyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyys!" came the small scream as the adult turned his head down to face the small child. The child jumped up and down, holding a book in his hands. "Daddys? Reads b-bookies! Now!" Lloyd's vocabulary was still missing some words here and there, but he could still manage to get his voice through, despite the fact that he was still only about two and a quarter.

"Lloyd, remember, you must always say..."

"Pweeeeeeeeses."

Kratos held up his hand and gently messed with his son's hair. It was still a wonder that he, Kratos Aurion, a member of Cruxis, a Seraphim, the "God of War", could settle down, have a wonderful wife, and father a child. He picked up the book and took a glance at the title, which was on the opposite side. It stated: "My First Angel."

"Daddys? What's wrongs?"

The red head slowly opened the book and then flipped a few pages, seeing the beings from his past hit the edges of the page. For some reason, there was now a discomfort in the way that he saw angels depicted in books, stories, or in the Church. It was never there before, until he met Anna.

"Why don't I tell you a story, instead?" he asked, placing the book inside the empty laundry basket. He'd take it back inside later.

"Woulds...be abouts boy calleds Lloyd?"

"'_**A**_ boy called Lloyd,' Lloyd." He sighed softly as he rubbed the small head. "Yes, it will be about a boy called Lloyd."

"And doggies... Noishey?"

"And Noishe."

"And Mommys?"

"And your mother."

"And Daddys?"

With that, he did what Anna would claim to be something that came naturally upon being a father. He poked his child in the belly, making sure that he did not accidentally injure him, and then gave him a very small, calming smile. "Me too, Lloyd."

"There was once a boy called Lloyd who had a Mommy and a Daddy called Anna and Kratos," he began.

"Lasts names?"

"Aurion. All of them were Aurions. One day, they decided to have a picnic and then a wild Noishe appeared."

"Sillies, Noishey"

"Noishe wanted a picnic, too. So, then, they **all** decided to travel up a mountain." With those words, he "showed" Lloyd by moving his fingers up the tree trunk that they were resting on. Lloyd joined in as well, claiming that his fingers were his Daddy and his Mommy while Kratos's were Noishe and little Lloyd himself.

"Once they were all at the top, they ate and had a nice time. The End."

"Yours greats storyteller, Daddys."

There was some silence as the adult picked up his son, placed him in the basket, and then began to carry everything into the house. There was a cry of joy coming from the bowels of the basket and Kratos carefully made the basket move around like a roller coaster from the other world's Altamira. "'A great storyteller,' Lloyd."

"Oppsies...'A greats storyteller'!"

---

Late afternoon was in the air as the redheaded ex-mercenary began to enter the house once again. His son, Lloyd, was fast asleep in his room, which was really his parents' room as well, for his "afternoon nappy time," as quoted by Anna. She was busy making supper.

"Anna, I have the rabbit meat for you," he stated, making enough noise for her to realize that he was in the area.

For the moment, his wife was wearing a small apron with a large lace heart. There was a wooden spoon in her hands as she turned to face Kratos.

"Ah! That's **perfect**, Kratty! We haven't had rabbit in so long! If I recall, it's been easily more than three months, maybe since late summer." She wobbled towards the packaged rabbit, and after lifting up one edge of it, she gave her nod of approval. "Looks very plump! How on earth could you find such a fat one in the middle of winter? I thought they hid really well under the snow banks in the higher parts of the nearby mountains."

Truth was, the nearest edible rabbit resided in the next valley. It was times like these that he was glad that he was a Seraphim. It was just a simple teleport and he was grabbing the rabbit with enough time to gather some more for future dinners and lunches.

"I have my ways..." he answered instead.

With a smile, she cut up three potatoes from the storage basket.

"Ah, yes, your mysterious, wonderful ways, huh, Kratos? Sometimes," she began with a laugh, "I wonder if it was your mysteriousness that drew me into you." She was beginning to chop the potatoes into halves when she changed the subject. "Kratty, I've noticed that you are not very keen on religion. How come?"

The question did come as a surprise for him, but he managed to make sure that she did not realize it. Perhaps he did not try as hard as he did when he was in Cruxis areas, for she raised her eyebrow when his face faltered ever so slightly.

"I am 'religious,' in a sense," he tried to explain to her with a gentle voice, not wanting to give away the truth.

It were these words that Anna gave a little laugh before turning around, giving him a heartwarming smile. "You, religious? You never seem to be, and you always refuse to go to any Church, of any kind, to _anything_ dealing with the Goddess. My mother would** flip**!"

The red haired figure knew that her mother was a bit zealous in her beliefs. The only problem was that Kratos had not disclosed to her that he was a Seraphim. She knew about the Desians, but only in the sense that they were evil. She knew nothing of Cruxis, nothing of vileness that was the Holy Four Seraphim; nothing of the truth that was of Mithos and his party of heroes. What his wife really knew was the 'long-lost' softer side of Kratos Aurion. He was not an Angel of Death to her, but a wonderful man who saved her.

"Kratty?" She held her hands at her hips. "I wonder...since I am a little bit religious," she was actually a lot religious, but not as bad as her mother, "and you aren't as much...will Lloyd be something like a half-believer?"

In his mind, Kratos sighed. "Anna, you have nothing to worry about. Besides, Lloyd is still too young to think of those things. Why not tend your rabbit, which is already beginning to—"

"Aiye! No! Our dinner!"

Yes, the man loved his wife dearly, but she could still learn a thing or two about cooking. They both took turns on making something, so today was Anna's day. Tomorrow would be his, then Anna's; a never-ending cycle of food and cooking.

"Kratty? Where do you think Heaven is?" This came from the female figure as she was trying to keep the fire from overdoing everything. From the background, Kratos was muttering a small spell to control the fire down. This, of course, was well hidden.

"Anna, you ask this often," he began with a smile, "that's why I shall keep it a secret even longer."

She whistled, this time with a bit more joy as she realized that only the underside of the rabbit was getting fried, and not the rest of the meat.

"Fine, fine..." Her brown hair fell sideways as she took a turn to face the man, switching conversation from one point to the next.

"Honey-Bun-Kratty?" she asked carefully as she began to stir the food to prevent the underside from becoming any more charred than it already was. "Would you mind waking Lloyd up? He seems to still be asleep."

---

The everyday going of his new life, for today, was all complete, and evening was settling in towards the small town that was Hima. Three figures were standing at the edge of the cliff, looking onwards towards the setting sun. The light brought rays of purple, blue, and gold, making for an interesting effect as the clouds turned pink.

_Yes_, Kratos thought as he turned to face the two others; his wife smiling at him as she was holding the sleeping figure of their child. _Yes, this is where Heaven truly is._

_---  
_

_Hey everyone! Is it just me, or am I forever cursed with horrible, bad, and awful things?  
-.-_

_Last time, roughly a week and a half ago, you guys remembered that our crappy computer had a power surge and etc. Well... it works now, but I SWEAR that now my computers are on a mass conspiracy against me! Honest to goodness conspiracy! Why? Well... you know how I had my good comp., right? Well... My dad got a virus in it, and it doesn't even start up Windows._

_-gives dagger glare to virus maker-_

_-then gives invis. daggers to her father for clicking on those spam/virus mail-_

_So, yes. All of my Photoshopping, my AoC screen-toned manga, my tablet programming... PFST! 'Tis all gone! _

_  
On better news..._

_Umm... My Calculus final is over? -sweats- On to AP tests and Spanish Finals...! _

OH! For those wondering what the word "lambisaks" is... it's some word that my family uses for when:  
One says or does cute, appraisable, wonderful things to a person in order to make that person do something they want.  
Ex: Anna hugs Kratos to make him to her morning chores, which he does.  
If lambisaks is even a real word... I'm sure I misspelled it. -nods-  
(OMFG, I could totally see Kratos doing chores if Anna told him to do it. XD)

O.o This chapter was so short! XD 'Twas only about 3,000 words long.  
Sorry everyone, but I was afraid that adding even more was going to be "stretching the fluff", which is bad. Crap, I hate stretching stories. There is a fine difference between stretching and detailing! -nods-  
I hope. -laughs-  
(I also got my Beta for this chapter. -waves flag- First time, yah!)  
(Oh, as a note... earlier, I made the first part of the chapter have a different meaning, but then I changed it around. -dies in embaressment- I made a mistake back there.)

-holds a mock funeral for computer, then switches around-

_Review please! -nods- Fehize runs on reviews! Yes, that she does!_


	30. Chapter 30

_Angels of Cruxis  
by: Fehize_

---

There was a time when everything was still and the world was plunged into darkness. It was then that the father of those who can become Pacted appeared within this darkness. Some people claim that perhaps, in this inky expanse of nothing, this massive lack of anything truly alive, a 'Father' created the Demons and the Angels. Those heavenly beings who are dubbed 'Angels', if they could talk to you once they got rid of their masks of emotion that rival the beginning bleakness, would tell a different story. They would claim this expanse of death would have been the beginning of the Demons and the Elves. Whatever the case, the world of Derris-Kharlan became into being: a mass of purple rocks and wondrous civilizations. A world where the Elves appeared. This world was soon too populous and, after some time, they realized that they were drifting towards another desolate world that was filled with nothing except for the never-ending drifts of sand. Perhaps it was because they were drifting in outer space. Perhaps it was because there were too many Elves living on Derris-Khlaran. Perhaps they, too, had the sense of adventure and explorations. In any matter, the Elves came down upon the arid mass of rock and brought forth a blessed seed: the Great Seed. This Seed was the one that would bring forth to the world a new meaning of life, and it grew into the Great Kharlan Tree; in honor of its homeland.

It is here that scholars complain and argue. Where, then, did the Humans come from if the world was nothing before they arrived? Could Humans have sprung up from Elves? Was that the real reason why Humans, upon ingesting the Aionis of any sort, could summon forth Mana spells? Could they have been a lower order of species from the Elves? Were they perhaps another smart species from Derris-Khlaran itself? Or, did the Humans exist from the lifeless sands of this still un-named world? Did they rise up into existence from the sands _because_ of the Great Kharlan Tree? History does not report upon this, and maybe no one will find the answer.

In any rate, there were three races living upon the world of Aselia, the world that depended upon the Great Tree for its life. These races were Human, Elf, and Demon. Demons, however, lived on a different 'plane' of Aselia. This 'plane' was called Niflheim, the Underworld to the residents of the Upperworld. Eventually, the spawns of darkness named this as their title. Just the word 'Niflheim' was enough to make the Upperworld species shiver in the depths of the night.

Then came the mingling of the two races who hated each other. A Human and an Elf mingled and produced a Half-Elf, something unwanted from both ends of the people. Humans, believing they were better suited for advancement, loathed the Elvin side of them. Elves hated them for they believed the wasteful side of Humans made them impure. In the end, more and more came into existence, making for racism against them all. Though Elves and Humans despised one another they were never really open about it. However, the Half-Elves made for the perfect way to unleash their resentment to their other, 'lower' species. Half-Elves had the advantage of both sides, though, and they advanced just as fast as the Humans, yet could understand the magic of the elves. Even their lifespan was longer than Humans by at least ten fold. Yet, these people, who at first glance would seem to be the real supreme species, were sent towards the dungeons or banished. Perhaps the Humans and Elves did realize their untapped potential and made a mockery of their lives in order for them not to become an organized force.

Then, like what is normal of tales, the Demons came from their rift and began to destroy the other races. Were Elves, Half-Elves, and Humans working together? Did one side bring forth the masters of the Pact, able to bring forth Maxwell and Origin? Did the three species argue and bicker, leading towards their close encounter with doom? Like the stories of how Humans existed, one may never know as well. It is beyond the written records. The only structures said to live in that time are the sacred temples of the Summon Spirits. Some tales of a fabled land that worshipped the Summon Spirit Sylph were said to be from that time line as well. The land that prayed to the air, however, can not tell its tale either.

The Demon War, the Dark War, the War of the First Shadows: whatever the name is for this occurrence of the Upperworld against the Underworld is one that brings forth mystery. All that is known is that the Upperworld species of Aselia won out, banishing the Demons back into the world of Niflheim. The High Angels, who were rumored to be in the war, but never really were, knew that the seals to prevent the Underworld from attacking once again were actually books hidden and lost throughout the land. These books were cursed books, once owned by the Elves who now live in solitude. All of them were burned many years ago, except for one dark book that was lying in a dusty part of the upper shelf, in the far back of the library in Syback. That book was older than the Second War of Shadows - the famed Kharlan War - older than the Angels; it was almost as old as the Summon Spirits themselves. Being old, it bided its time, if one could give such an alive motion to a book, waiting for the seal to weaken and the passageway from the Underworld to the Upperworld to open. Normally, an Elf would have destroyed this book eons ago with the aid of companions to help bring the Soul Fire towards the book's core. Soul Fire was the life of the soul, and the only thing able to destroy the book and indefinitely banish the Demons.

This book was not the only seal, however. It was one of the major seals, but there were minor ones located within the hearts of immensely powerful weaponry with deep and powerful curses. They were, perhaps, sealed by Elves of long ago within a black chest that possessed a signature of evil Mana radiating from it. Never were they to be opened, and they were not supposed to be touched. Apparently, though, there was a Human bloodline that could open such chest and destroy such weapons. This bloodline was to save the world, prevent any more Demons coming in, and rescue the citizens of Aselia.

This bloodline might have nearly destroyed almost all. Alas, that lineage did not succeed. The Kharlan War probably killed almost all of the bloodline save for one female. In herself she carried the blood for a Human to collect and destroy the Weapons of the Niflheim. Unfortunately, this blood became tainted, and now, if any one from that line was to collect the Weapons, they could fall victim to the Voice of the Demons.

Alone, either the Book or the Weapons could release the seal to allow most of the Demons to run through the Upperworld. But the most powerful of them could only exist as a shadow of their real power when either one's seal was opened. There were four Demons that had this pale shadow, and this shadow could float among the Upperworld IF the seals were weakening. Four Demons and four Seraphim, the people claimed, unaware that the Seraphim did not exist in that time. Alone, such shadows could still overbear mere Humans, Half-Elves, and Elves working alone.

Together, they could unleash the four Demons in their real form - one of which was so powerful only both the weakening seals combined could open and unleash him. However, since the split of the worlds, one of the bloodline could not receive the weapons, and over time, he fell to the dark voices and became the host for the King of all Demons. His body was changed to become a half-conscious host, waiting for the combination to unleash himself. Being possessed, this man traveled the world to receive the weapons. Yet, his body was weakening. He had no Angelus Project strapped upon his body as a long-lost relative did. He had no Kate, the genius Half-Elf, to become an experiment of.

The book was weakening: it could allow innocent people to be sucked into the world of Niflheim and drain away their Soul Fire. The weapons were getting stronger: they allowed the one with the bloodline to become possessed with the very thing it was to save the world from. They wanted to get together...

So goes the tale.

---

Kratos's hair was springing up and down with the slightest movements as his body was running around in a rather large circle. The tall, overbearing columns that made the outer supports of the Tower of Mana whizzed by as his footsteps made the softest of sounds. His elaborate yet simple coat, if it could be considered that, fluttered slightly. The interior was getting frigid, for the others, as they were already halfway up from the base. On the inside one could tell that the air was beginning to coat the windows in a layer of frost.

Behind the mercenary was his son. His little white scarf was running behind him as well, making for a small flapping noise as it hit his body before bouncing back up. Next to Lloyd was the Chosen One, with her own blonde hair flowing behind. She had already lost the senses of taste and sleep, as well as gained enhanced hearing, but the touch factor was still there. The cold was getting to her ill-clad figure, and she was beginning to show the signs of shivering. _After this seal, there will be no need to worry about the necessities of humanity. Yet...is this really the right thing to do? Unified world: a 'Unified World'. It's nothing but the sick twist of Mithos's mind._ It took about five more steps for that train of thought to go away, and by then the Professor was running next to the Chosen. The small half-elf was taking the steps rather fast right behind everyone else. Noishe, the protozoan, was standing guard outside in case any 'Desians' attacked during their trek inside the Tower.

"Kratos? It's getting rather cold up here," began Raine as she started to state the obvious. However, it was in a tone of words that described something else entirely. It sounded more like she, too, was realizing that the Chosen was beginning to show signs of illness. "I suggest we find a place to stop and rest before the sun begins to sink in three hours time. Wouldn't you agree?"

It was actually Lloyd who decided to respond to this question.

"Actually, this place is cold because of the lack of Mana. Without the power of Light Mana sealed, the Light-power driven heat lamps that prevent anything from getting beyond permafrost are unlit." It seemed that his son had dropped the whole act of being the dim rock. "The faster that Colette can unleash the seals, the faster that the Mana will return to light up this area. If we stay here for a night and stop to rest, this Tower will easily fall into temperatures that will surely bring all of us near to death." It was not necessarily true as the two Seraphim could easily manage to stay alive. If all else failed, the half-elf could supply a flame with Fireball at the cost of his own sleep.

"A very intriguing observation..." came a small mutter from the older of the siblings.

---

They were near the top of the building, and there were mountains of magitechnology items that were waiting to be examined by a certain Professor. However, in what her brother would have called the signs of an approaching apocalypse, she was ignoring them; aside from the few times that she had to assess them in order to transport them to the topmost part of the Tower. Her mind was filled with more important things.

The wind was bitter cold, and in the distance there were the first signs of the stars beginning to twinkle on and off. The height of the Tower of Mana showed exactly how advanced the races were before the Ancient Khlaran War came into existence and ruined everything. Anyone outside for more than twenty minutes could fall ill with a deadly disease.

Unless you were a Seraphim.

"Raine," came the command from the red headed man she he turned to look at her. "You need to stay in the background. The Tower of Mana is said to be the host of the Summon Spirit of Light, and since you use Light-based attacks, you will only heal whatever test that will come out to challenge the Chosen." It was odd, really, how he knew all of this information. Sure, he might be one of the Holy Seraphim - and she will be sure once she began to gather more information - but could he really understand what the test was? Perhaps, as the angels of Cruxis DID make the tests to begin with. _So, if Kratos says that this is the roost for the Light Summon Spirit...then that means that he possibly also knows what sort of monster Colette will be thrown against._ The thoughts of all the knowledge he possessed overwhelmed her, but she also knew that it might be a large secret. _What is your TRUE form, Kratos? Lloyd? If you are Seraphim, what do you really look like? Seraphim...could their only seeable difference be that angels of all forms have wings? Where are your wings, Aurions?_

The excitement was killing her! When the fight started she would be healing in the background, keeping a tab on exactly the speed and footwork of a certain 'mercenary' and his son. How fast is Kratos's arm swing? How much thrust is he jabbing forth with each slice? Can that thrust be done by a human, elf, or half-elf? Are Seraphim/Angels differently structured than their land-based counterparts? Are they stronger? Faster? More powerful? Already her research showed that Seraphim, or at least Kratos and his son - though Lloyd seemed to be the lesser of the two—had more Mana infused with their bodies than what was safe for any...well...mortal! Yet, it seemed so unrealistic that a Seraphim could be an immortal. That was impossible and unconceivable. THAT, and it was against all moral tradition! Immortality though...what a powerful word. Ageless immortality, even more powerful. Those two words could surely make basically anyone bend to fall for it.

Ageless immortality couldn't exist unless you were a God or Goddess, however. Raine knew her history, language, and past of TWO worlds, and there definitely was not a God called Kratos or Lloyd. Just a Goddess called Martel, a sleeping one with angels all around her body. Of course the only angels said to have seen her...are right in front of her!

"SIS! Look!" came the gasp from her younger brother as she turned to face what he was pointing at. There, right in front of her, was an animal that seemed to come straight from Purgatory. It was something like a unicorn, except SO much larger than anything she had ever seen before. The main part of its body was black or grey-silver, but there was an air of supremacy. "It's a—it's a dark unicorn!"

"It's...amazing!" breathed Colette as she began to pull out her wings.

"Everyone get ready!" came the serious tone from Kratos as he clicked his Silver Sword from the sheath, with his thumb, before pulling it out all the way. His stance was something that seemed perfect. Too perfect, like one of those beings that came from legends from long ago. In fact, one could call him a Perfect Swordsman. That mere thought tugged at her mind for some reason, and it was a very strong pull.

The battle began with the expected introduction: Genis and Lloyd immediately began to start into their own, individual battle poses. Her brother was starting to get ready to cast Spread, a powerful use of Mana that Lloyd had 'shown' him to do with rather large hints. The white circle of Mana, that signatured the use of no element, became clear as the background began to fade into the night sky. Lloyd, on the other hand, with his razor sharp swords, ran forward and began the head on assault. Colette was bringing out her chakram, but she was floating off towards the edge opposite of Raine so that if that Boss charged they both would not get hit. Small words began to come out from her and Mana feathers were floating from the bottom of her floating figure, symbolizing that she was about to unleash a powerful Angelic attack.

As for Kratos, the man she was looking at for scientific studies, he was running into the fray with the speed of an expert, but clearly not as fast as he normally ran. She could remember that night when he raced off to help Lloyd when they were surrounded by Drakes and unknowingly betrayed by the female, Sheena. He brought forth his large silver sword in an amazing arch that was very professional. _Why couldn't I see anything before?! Arg, it was because I was being a dense idiot, yelling 'Demon, Demon, Demon' when I should have been LOOKING! This style of fighting is __**far**__ more advanced than what a regular sell-sword would have at his apparent age. Just how old IS Kratos Aurion?! Clearly, with that much skill, he can't be a simple twenty-eight-year-old, and since he's the father of Lloyd, he can't be forty either. He looks FAR too young for that! Unless Angels have extended lifespan, then that would make sense._

_Get back to the fight!_ she mentally yelled at herself. There was a whine coming from the background as the unicorn began to charge its body into the still-floating figure of Colette, but then Lloyd jumped right in front of it and received most of the blow. His body sailed into the air, showing the signs of an immense force, but then he turned in MIDAIR before landing back down. Naturally, the Boss was angered by this and now ignored Colette, who had just received just enough time to unleash her attack.

"ANGEL FEATHERS!" she screamed as she pointed towards the boss. Her white outfit made for a distinct object to see as the background now turned white as the Mana from the nearby regions collected to her whim and threw itself at the animal.

"Spread!" came the small cry from her brother as he, too, placed a well timed hit into the Boss. The animal whined, but was still apparently able to fight. "Colette! It's a light based monster! Don't use Light based attacks!" Genis was doing great, and that made her happy that he wasn't hurt yet, but her mind had to dabble on the significant find...

THERE! The red hair was unmistakable, even though the darkness was coming in and the moon was shinning high above. "Light Spear!" and "Hell Pyre!" could be heard from the 'mercenary' as he launched his body high up and began to attack the animal from the front end. Colette was now beginning to get the message that her angel abilities here were only good for stamina, so she began to rush into the front lines, along with Kratos, as Lloyd swapped places with her. With another movement, he began to destroy the inner gut of the monster as it began to give a large whine.

In the background, Lloyd was already ready to attack, which was impossible! Did not one need to charge up Mana before unleashing it? _So, does that really mean that Seraphim do not need to charge Mana as they have SO much of it?_ She still had two other seals to find out more information, but there seemed to be a whole lot coming in right then. "Take this, monster! I call upon the mighty ruler of the heavens!" The background began to change color yet again, except this time becoming a purple colour. "Indignation!"

With the crackle of supreme heat rippling through the sky, a large bolt crashed right into the body of the Boss, severely injuring it. Raine opened her eyes wide in shock. That was a legendary **third**-level spell! _Goddess Martel!_ There were rumors of people who could go beyond second level spells, but there was never a sign on one in actual records that had much merit. Spiritua's team was said to have a third level caster among them, but they all disappeared afterwards and left no trace beyond the rumors of those who saw them.

In came Kratos as he swung his mighty weapon around and stabbed the animal right through the heart as Colette jabbed her disks into the animal's temple. There was a silent cry, maybe in desperation or despair, but the unicorn eventually vanished in a shower of Mana escaping towards the real world yet again. There was a stunned silence as a ghostly figure rose out from the shadows as night began to touch the top. It was about then that Raine realized that her breath was beyond easily viewable here, and that everyone was showing the signs of hypothermia - minus the Aurions.

She had lavish, multi-colored hair and sad, serene eyes. Her outfit was revealing, but it seemed to suit her. She was floating on the crescent shape of the moon, holding a staff in an upright position. However, she did not seem to be solid. "Please," she whispered to everyone, it seemed, "if you want to call upon me, I must have Aska first..." With that, she disappeared into nothing. Before she could think of anything else, however, Raine was startled by the bright light that came from seemingly no where.

It was Remiel, the Messenger Angel! The father of Colette, or so he claimed. It seemed, however, that children of angels could exist, though, so perhaps it was true. His white wings expanded across a wide span, gently flapping back and forth as he hovered roughly ten feet over the heads of the Chosen's Group. "My beloved Daughter, Colette. Are you ready to pray in front of the alter and send your them towards Heaven?"

"Yes, father," she began as she brought her hands into a praying position as the second seal was about to be opened.

---

Man, I so badly wished that FF could hold color...

Grr, I am in SUCH a _**bad**__ mood when I wrote this chapter! (Though I made sure it didn't mess up my writing style. The intro was SUPPOSED to look like that. Er... sound like that.)  
I guess it was my famous last words when I mentioned that my flashdrive was in excellent shape and had no problems and was managed to be spared from the realms of being short-circuited. Yah, you guys can almost guess what happened.  
Well, it's not as bad as a short. Oh no... The necklace part of my flashdrive wound up against my leg and then RING, RING, there's the phone. I go up to get it, POP! I turn around with a cringed look...  
I don't know about you guys, but I'm __pretty__ sure that a flashdrive is not supposed to be at a 45 angle halfway down the processor chip. -sighs and cries-  
-throws Olympic sized swimming pools to you if you Review, which would make her happy-  
-throws puppy dog faces if you don't so you can- _

Pst! Read between the lines for more plot, or just look kinda easily among the words. -waves hands unenthusiastically-


	31. Chapter 31

_Angels of Cruxis  
by: Fehize_

---

The night sky was already high into it's zenith as the gentle sea breeze hit a slender figure that was standing on the edge of a little, moving wooden island in the middle of a broad and large expanse of dark blue. This certain dark blue thing was gently lapping at the edge of this wooden island, making a soft rythmic noise as the time was passing. High above, one could swear that the stars were twinkling brightly; happily in fact. They made for a rather peaceful scene, with the sight breath taking. This lone figure arched its head high up towards the heaven as the figure's hair flapped in the sea-smelling air.

Like little diamonds nestled among a blanket of velvet, the stars glittered and seemed to be almost alive and calling someone. They did not, in a sense, really call anyone, but they were a nice piece of comfort that usually brought a smile to the face of someone who desperately needed it. Some were red, some were blue, some were even yellow, but the majority of them were white. They made no bright light, except for their reflection among the surface of the blue mass below the wooden boat. High above the horizon, however, was the only beacon of light for the world: a moon with the color of pearl. It was rather beautiful, and even the name was exotic. The name of this moon made for a sound that seemed to be out of a fairy tale, like one of those stories where the good person always won, and the bad guy always lost. Yet, unknown to almost everyone, the 'good guy' had fallen to the realms of what one could call the 'bad guy.'

"Mistress Martel?" began a voice from the background. "What are you doing up so late? It's almost midnight, and unless you don't sleep, you shouldn't really be up at this time." Anna knew what voice it was. Her head turned around as her fake-colored green hair flowed behind her, making for a dramatic show. She also had to make sure that her body was calm and serene... NOT exactly an easy thing to do if one was constantly getting angry or upset at objects that really teased her off. (Like Yuan, Yuan, and more Yuan.)

"I was just viewing the stars," she replied to Jineasa, the blonde girl who claimed she knew magic. They have yet to run into anything that could possibly stand for a monster - aside from the random encounter with a squid, but the boat's bow rammed it over - or a threat, so there was no fighting.

"Mmm. So, Miss Martel, do you know people in Palmacosta?"

Anna wondered what this girl was up too. She seemed too... demanding. Sometimes, that other dude - whatever his name was - called himself the leader of the group, but it was obvious that this girl was the real one, if not, at least the second in command. The one that had a social problem, the one with the cape on who called himself Krantus, seemed more like the leader. _Krantus and Kratos... I smell a pun here._ "I know no one really, as I had just awoken from a horrible happenstance that lasted many years."

"Just... awoken, Lady Martel? That's rather odd, madam." 'Madam' and 'Lady,' that was what she was called all the time, and it was getting to be rather annoying. _If there ever WAS a real Martel, I could half-way understand one percent as to why she never woke up!_ she thought angrily. All of the statements of royalty irked her slightly, mainly because she was using a fake name of a Goddess that was never there to help her in her times of need. Maybe if it was her own, natural name, then she wouldn't be in such a bad mood about it.

It was then that the sailor, the man called Max who had a girlfriend upon the small port town that naturally ignored him, came into view and threw a rope down upon their heads. "You two better call up the rest of your comrades! I think I see something that looks like a bunch of monsters coming on up!" he cried out in warning.

The blue clad woman with the little hat bounced off from the edge of her seating spot and then began to race towards the wooden door where everyone else slept. Anna had yet to see where they slept as she rather stay outside in the nice, warm cabin. Unfortunately, she was now at the point where she was really tired and she wanted to go to s.l.e.e.p.

With a loud bang, there were now six people upon the boat's deck: Jineasa, Krantus, Roido, Coletta, Max, and 'Martel.' In the woman's mind, she was whining. Why, oh WHY? Here she was, tired and wanting to go to bed, and she knew almost nothing about fighting aside from kicking, scratching, and a really crappy form of biting! What was she **supposed** to do? MANA ATTACKS?!? Krantus and Roido, however, seemed to get the area quickly under command. "Roido! Get the backside and hang with Coletta! Jineasa, get towards the higest point and then cast your magic up there! Remember that you must see the enemies before throwing Mana about, and ignore our own bodies!" With this, he turned to face Max and Anna, both who were standing stiff. "Max, try to make this boat as fast as you can towards the Palmacosta shoreline! We will try to hold you off as much as we can!" His eyes ranged off towards the woman's face before barking an order at her, too. "Lady Martel! Can you do anything?"

"I...I..." she stuttered, afraid suddenly that a monster might come out and decided to eat her whole before spouting her carcass into the depths of the sea. "I can..."

There was a sound coming from his body that sounded like an upset growl. "Useless," was what she thought she heard, but she couldn't tell. With one simple push, he heaved her off towards a barrel filled with fishing twine; her black and silver coat floating up, showing a bit too much panties. Lucky for her, he wasn't looking...she hoped. "Stay in there!" he barked in his too-deep voice. "The Chosen's Group shall protect you." With that, he ran off with his sword outside his sheath under his really big cloak.

_The 'Chosen's Group'?!? That ain't no CHOSEN! Then, why the HELL are they calling themselves the 'Chosen's Group'?_ Before she could muse further on that topic, though, there was suddenly a loud thud as Max's voice sounded clear as a bell chine. "The monsters are on the boat!" It was filled with terror, and it was at that moment that Anna was glad that she was stuck in a little wooden barrel where she couldn't see anything. In the background, she could hear the voices of the four others, each one with thier own voices filled with a slight amount of stress. She needed to calm down a bit, for there was NO way she could fortell the future with her heart racing at this pace!

"Come on, dagger of the skies! Lightning Blade!"

"Sonic Thurst! Ha! Got that sucker!"

"Super Sonic Thrust! Your form is still lacking, Roido!"

"Thief! Yah! Stole something!"

---

"-and that is what happened to me, for the billionth time, Yuan."

There was silence as the black clad man began to hustle around his richly decoder room, obviously very upset and filled with some sort of vile, red-hot anger. Earlier, there were the small mutterings of the many "Damn, those...those AURIONS!" but wither he truly felt it or not was a different situation. In fact, the strange thing was that when she told him of her failure to do much of anything, much to the despise of her mind, he was upset, but not at the fact that she failed to kill...Lloyd. She didn't WANT to kill him, but he was protecting the Chosen of this world! She couldn't let her world die and be left to rot! That was just...mean and evil! So, when Lord Yuan came up to her and stated that he knew of a way to prevent Tetha'alla from falling back down into the lack of Mana that happened in the history of long ago, she agreed to do whatever it took. She polished her skills of summoning - not that it helped much when...Volt...showed up - and her ninja practices; everything and anything to make sure that she could save her world, which her pervy Chosen could not at the current moment. Now, she had failed one of her first attempts, and failed it miserably. She lost her friend, she's sure of that, and made far more enemies than she can count on her fingers. _Damn me!_ she thought loudly._ DAMN me for thinking I could defeat Lloyd! Hell, he is an ANGEL! An Angel sent to help the damn Chosen of this world, and with his father, no less! Damn, damn, __**damn**_

Angels. That was something that Sheena didn't quite fully believe in what they said they were. Cruxis...that was the holy Church, but it still didn't explain much as to why the Renegades were after their blood. It was odd, though, that Cruxis would try to help both worlds. There was a Church here in this world, as well as her own, and Lloyd talked all the time as if he KNEW there was two worlds, which was something that she barely discovered when Yuan told her when she was roughly seven or so. Lloyd talked about Cruxis in ways that went: Yes, there is a Martel, but not really a Goddess, in a sense. Of course there were angels, he was one! _ARG! _she screamed in her mind. It never meant any sense! How could Cruxis, the land of the angels, work with both? Couldn't the angels ask Martel - or whoever - to help save both worlds? Would that be so hard to ask? Was there something about Cruxis that the Renegades hated? It was still the church, and she was very uncertain of herself that she should be in an organization that goes against them. _But, there is no way turning back right now..._ she thought with a little mutter.

Lord Yuan was still pacing back and forth, as if thinking if something. "This is certainly going to stall so many things. I, too, went to go after them, but at the last second his father showed up. It was unnerving!" His white gloved fingers reached up and tried to choke the thin air. "I was SO close to have Lloyd! I-"

That was wierd. He wanted Lloyd...alive? Well, that was a good thing, for sure, but, that goes back to the fact that the Chosen, Colette, is the main bad one here. Damn it all! How was she supposed to get close enough to kill that woman?!? Yah, she seemed nice and everything, as well as caring, but she couldn't just let her go! Her WORLD was at stake here! A rather large one with plenty of cinderwood, too.

"Sheena, you need to keep going after the Chosen. However, we need to devise of a better plan! Such a shame we can't get Lloyd, though..."

She tilted her head sideways, but was afraid to ask as to 'why.' Lloyd was still her friend, and for some reason, the way Lord Yuan was looking about with his eyes made it seem that he was thinking of something bad for him. _Damn it all to hell! Why couldn't I just kill the girl when I had the chance!_ "Lord Yuan! I can go out tonight and head off towards the Pass that connects the Palmacosta region with the Asgard one. I know that they are up around the city of Luin right about now, and they will have to head south eventually. Odds are that one of the seals is in the southern part of the world as well and-"

Lord Yuan brought up his eyes. "That's a great idea, Sheena. However, I think you should spy on them in the pass; not a single movement or sound. The only seal in that southern area would be the Water Seal at the geyser." With this, he threw something at her. "Here is some gels for you as well as a Level 4 Exsphere. Use it well, and wait for the opportune moment to strike, understand?"

Sheena nodded as she turned around to race towards the exit. "Understood!"

---

"Colette is resting, alright Genis? I'm certain she's ok."

Genis's little lip was in a scared, pouty expression. "Are you sure about that, Lloyd? I mean, she DID get hit rather hard here and there when she collapsed because of her sickness."

"Don't worry about it! She's just adapting to become an angel, that's all."

The night sky was already over, but the sun had just barely ran across the heavens halfway. The orange and gold disk could be seen towering above the edge of the horizon. It was a wonderful sight, actually, and made one think about how small they were in the world. The puffy, pink and purple clouds could be seen towering above the rest of the world. For now, they were still inside the building, but the view from the windows were amazing. Already, the little heat lamps running on the power of this Summon Spirit was already warming up the place, meaning for less need to move around so much and be stuck in a place that could be bad for the Chosen.

Kratos was holding on his bundle of food, feeding some of the leftovers - which was basically all of it - towards Noishe, who was happily, and greedily, eating it whole. With only a matter of licks, what was once beef stew was suddenly protozoan slobber. Still, it was nice to know that there was someone that he could trust on that didn't change throughout the ages. Noishe was Noishe, no matter how many years went by.

"Kratos? May I ask you something?" came the voice from the female Professor from that small town. She was holding a book in her hands as well as a small set of reading glasses. It seemed that she did not really need glasses to read, but perhaps they were fake ones furthering the air of a scholar. "It's rather important, and I would like it if you answered truthfully and none of the certain ways you have of bending what you say.

"Kratos, I was wondering how it it that you know so much about the ancient times. Don't you dare say 'no' as that little factoid you had about the door didn't pass through my eyes! In fact, I-"

"Sis?" came the sound of the other helf-elf. "I have a question to ask of you. Now that two seals are broken, does that mean that there is more Mana in this world?"

It was not exactly the kind of distraction that the red headed man wanted, but at least it brought the prying mind of a certain female away from him. Cruxis business was for Cruxis members, even if this certain Cruxis higher-up was beginning to doubt himself...

---

"ZELOS! Please! Pick ME! Pick ME!"

"No! Over here! I want to talk with Zelos!"

"ZELOSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!! My father has the best connections from anyone here! Don't choose any of **these** lower-water people! Come on, Zelos!"

"Me!" "No me!" "Me!" "Over here!" "I want to go!" "Zelos!" "Yuuhoo!" "Choose me!" "Me! I'm still a virgin!" "I'm more prettier!" "MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!"

"Hunnies! There's enough Zelos to go around here!" A black and pink glove shot forth and then rested behind his head. "All of you are wonderful collections to the Wilder Garden! To think that all of you managed to catch my wonderful scent!" Red hair was flashing in the distance as an uncountable amount of locks were flicking back and forth in the suave and natural movements of a certain man.

His name was Zelos Wilder, and boy did the world know his name. He was the Chosen, but not just any Chosen! He happened to be the best looking, most sexy Chosen anyone has ever laid eyes on. Did he also forget to mention that he has many fan clubs as well as T-Shirts blessed in his honor? You know you are famous when you got your head immortalized on a shirt for commoners. Sure, he doesn't wear that shirt as his white and puffy pants are fine enough for him, but it is always nice to know that there would always be people who love him. Hence the Hunnies. "Hunnies!" he explained again, with his happy grin. "Right now I just want to walk around and let the rest of the city be graced by my mere awesomeness. Besides, I have something to check up upon and-"

One of the richly clad female with the blue silk fan began to have a small pout. "It's that Sheena girl, isn't it? The only one who isn't worthy of being here with _us_."

"Aha! But that is where you are wrong, sweetcheeks! She's the only one who I haven't touched; only seen. Where's the fun in that?" As an afterthought, he decided to lung himself and give that Hunnie a hug. "Besides, being jealous over me? Aww, you should."

Suddenly, there was a large shadow hanging over him. Some of his Hunnies turned there head forwards to see what was it, and what it was surprised him. It was another decent looking woman, except she seemed a tad bit older than what he was used to. She had lightning green hair with a black, skin-tight outfit that had little emblems engraved in gold around the edges. All around her was this little gold and emerald collar-floating looking thing, and her little golden metal feet were off the...GROUND?!? She was a _very_ odd woman, and not exactly in his normal age range.

"Zelos Wilder, I presume."

"Hello, Sugar! What is a woman like you doing here with my fellow bunches of Hunnies? You wanna join or something?" His hand was waving back and forth in it's appropriate manner that he always had.

She seemed to have a small humph of a sniff as well as a crocked, demonic-like smile. "My name is Proynma, and I am one of higher importance than you, Mr. Wilder. I was sent here by someone that I believe you would want to do business with." Her voice was a tad bit high and annoying, and her stature was all wrong.

His red hair flicked backwards as he turned around to face his crowd. "Now, now, my Hunnies! I'll be seeing you later and then I'll pick on who gets to travel with me: the almighty Chosen of Mana!"

"Zelos!!!!" they all screamed happily as they turned around to leave with a small frown. They obviously didn't want to leave, but it's not that they couldn't listen. If they did not follow what the great Zelos wanted, he might not go out with one lucky girl! Naturally, that was what Zelos loved about his sweet Hunnies! They listened!

Once they left, he turned around and faced the woman Proynma. "Hey, I was getting rather busy with my fellows, so you better explain what you want fast. Who are you and where did you come from?"

The strange woman rose up one of her arms and gave him a look. "I already stated my name, _Chosen_, and that is Proynma. I came from a place." Seems that she didn't want to explain aything further, and that made him want to know where even more.

"Well then, I guess I can't do anything in a buissness sense with this person who you claim wishes to speak to me."

Her smile faltered slightly, but then she gave him a smile. It was most certainly not a Hunnie Smile! It was more like a freaky, toothy grin. "I hear that you wish to decline your position as a Chosen, _Chosen_. I come from someone who will be willing to do a sort of exchange."

That caught this man's attention straight away, and what seemed to be an eternal face of happy and joy turn straight into something serious. "What do you mean by that?" he asked cautiously. She didn't seem from around the area...

"Right now, there is a journey being done in the land of Sylverant. It's called the Journey of Regeneration, and you might already know that if this journey is successful, it will decline this world." She then gave a little laugh with an evil twist. "When they succeed, which they will this time due to certain backing, you-" she poked him, "will be sent forth to _die_." Zelos's eyes widened as he was stunned y the fact that this woman knew about the other world. Only the higher ups knew about its existence, generally recently, and they had yet tell about it to the common people. "Of course, that's something that we can arrange around..."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Ahaha...Silly and foolish _Chosen_. I bring forth you a proposition: you keep a lookout for a man called Rodyle and report to me, and _We_ will get your sister to be the Chosen and leave her little room."

Her statement was enticing. Here she was offering a way out of his mental hell, and if it was a false thing, at least he could get rid of her. "Sure thing, Sugar! But...who's 'We'?"

She gave him a smile that was neither reassuring or calming. "'We' is naturally the 'We' of Cruxis." With that, she vanished away in a small, black light.

---

_OK! I got my good computer up and running!  
Bad thing: I lost everything...  
Good thing: ...Uh...It's now MY computer and no longer my families computer system.  
Another Bad Thing: My dad stole our Microsoft Office CDs (so no Word) AND __**MY **__Photoshop CD! I can't reload them and he 'conviently' forgot where he placed them! -grr noises- Arg! -kicks invisible, digital wall-_

_On other news, I now am going to admit something that I think is true to EVERY writer here on admit it! I am a Review Addict!  
So yes, please help me fuel it so I can be happy yet again.  
Fehize needs Review drug... -dies in laughter over the last paragraph-  
Yes, Fehize is a very sad, sad little...er, well, not so little, girl.  
-.- _

Arg! And I am SOOO sorry that this chapter took forever. It's cause finals are already beginning down here, and finals are, well...e.v.i.l.


	32. Chapter 32

_Angels of Cruxis  
by: Fehize_

---

Many, upon many, years ago, there might have been a volcano blowing its inner contents far and wide among the land of what was once one world. It seemed to be unbelievable, but perhaps it may be true. This certain speck of land was possible proof of such things: this land of heat and massive dunes that moved and billowed with the passing of time. Any one place in this land would easily be forgotten within a few years because nothing could stay within one permanent place for long. Perhaps that was almost false to acclaim, though, as there was a small desert town that managed to stay throughout the ages and prosper, if a minute amount at all.

One lone figure was beginning to run through the vast expanse of the area, following a small dot that rested clear off towards the other side nearing the edge of the desert. This figure was a tall monster of a thing, easy to spot because of it's almost neon blue color and grotesque shape. It seemed to be the spawn of something that hot and boiling tar pits spat out after they disappeared with the passing of time and the negligence of Efreet.

There was very little shadow coming from the silhouette of this thing, yet the silhouette was not something that could be recognized by something human. No, it seemed to be something else, something much more...

Dangerous...

---

Sheena was getting hot, but at least she was nearing the edge of the desert. That was actually a good thing as her large ribbon and her tight clothing made for clean and fluid motions, but not for saving her from heat. On her shoulders was something that did not help with cooling her down, but it was the greatest company that she has have for many, many years. Her black hair swish-swayed when she turned her head over to face the small bundle that was very busily trying to cuddle itself closer towards her neck area. The large and blue, fluffy tail wrapped around towards her lower neck area.

"Corrine feels hot..." muttered the small fox-like thing as it rested it's small blue feet upon her. "Are we almost out?" This was the ninth time today that Corrine was whining, but it was something that both of them shared in thoughts. Sheena thought that this air was too dry and too hot, and if Corrine was hot, he had the right to complain. It was great that the edge of the hot and dry land was straight ahead in the distance. Already there was the sign of mountains...

They were the very same mountains that she crossed twice. The first was to attack the Chosen, but she was protected by Lloyd. _Oh, Lloyd! Do you hate me now? Are we no longer friends anymore because we are on opposite sides? Or can I still ask you if you can help save both worlds? You're an __angel__ for goodness sakes! Why, oh why, are we on opposing teams? Is Cruxis unable to help both sides, even if they know about them?_ The second time was running back from the failed attack on Lloyd after getting her orders to "get" him by Botta. Unfortunately, it seemed that Botta didn't understand that assassins don't "get" something alive unless instructed, which was something he forgot. But...she didn't understand. How would "getting" Lloyd help save her land? Yuan was not giving any of that information to her and she hoped he knew what he was doing.

"Sheena! Corrine sees something comin'!" yelled the little puff ball in her shoulders. "It looks very so much big! Yes, yes!"

She turned around quickly, making sure that her eyes could adjust. What was it that was coming? Corrine said it was something big...

It WAS big! HUGE! It towered over her body like about three times her height! It has bones hanging out, making it have about four arms, and was hideous! No! It was _frightening_!!! "Ah!" she screamed out. What WAS that thing?!?

"Fight...me..." it said as it lunged itself towards her and Corrine.

---

"So...this is the place they call Asgard..." came the call from the white-haired woman. She was very busy, trying to see everything, but somehow, it seemed that she lacked her normal devotion that Genis thought accompanied her whenever they were around something of ancient value. It seemed she was out of it for a while... Actually, it's been that way ever since couple of weeks ago.

"Yes, this is the tourist trap called Asgard. Most people say that these tourist attractions are only fake images, but they are actually the real things, in truth." It was the voice of Raine when she was filled with knowledge, but not the excited one. Maybe she was calming down, but that was hard to believe. She was his sister after all... But what if that meant that she was thinking about something else much more important? _Maybe she's worried about the Chosen and her transformation, or something like that..._

"Asgard is a very old city," began Kratos as his hair waved left towards right as he turned around to face the many different buildings. "There are many things here that will fill the average archeologist with information for many years. Of course, the reason why we are here is to stop and check for any more seals that happen to lie upon this side of the world. The Tower of Mana was the second one, but there are three more left."

Colette happily jumped and then turned around to face everyone. "That's right! Only three more left before I regenerate the world! Then, everyone would be happy!" Genis wondered if that was what she really felt, though. Sometimes, Colette seemed really sad when she thought no one was looking at her. Other times, she seemed to have this certain look upon her face when she stared out towards the horizon. The Tower of Salvation was easily seen even here, among the tall cliffs on both sides, but it seemed that staring at it gave a sense of dread. Why?

Lloyd jumped in and gave Genis a rub on the head with his hand. "GENIS! Whacha doing?!? Are ya thinking about something?" He had that happy expression, as well as that smile that almost never seemed to wipe off from his face. Almost. Sometimes it did disappear, but Genis never dwelled upon it. After all, it couldn't be that bad, could it? _I mean, Lloyd's an angel. What bad stuff could come from that? Well...there is still that thing about Sheena, and those Desians, but I'm sure they won't bother him much again... I hope..._

"Kratos?" asked Colette in her quiet voice. "Umm... Don't you think we should find an inn first?" She nodded her head frequently as Genis noticed that it WAS getting dark, and dark fast. Other than that, it was getting really cold, too. There was a wind that was sweeping through the area, and something sinister seemed to be afoot. "Sorry if I am acting like as if I was the leader, but...something doesn't seem right."

The wind howled for a while more, getting colder and colder as the sun vanished and the stars began to twinkle. Everything seemed to fade into darkness! Genis couldn't see anything really well, but from the looks of it, it seemed that Kratos could, as he was leading them towards the inn. Suddenly, there was a candle light in the background.

It floated here and there, going left and right, making no noise. Yet, it was because of this light that they could see that there was a group of people traveling up towards the southern end of the city. There were at least ten people there, all with their own candles that seemed to become aglow from the abyss.

---

Kratos could see them, even if the night was already in. He could also hear their voices.

"I can't believe that damned half-elf tired to blow up the dais! Now, the Summon Spirit is going to be angry at us."

"He already is. I heard his voice and he demanded us to give him two sacrifices this night, followed by one a week for a _year_. At this rate, we'll loose all of the females in this city. Asgard is ruined."

"We can't run away, either, for if we do, he said he'll destroy the area before we have a chance to escape."

His red eyes watched them as they began to walk. They were all dressed in what seemed to be ancestral robes as well as ancient jewelry. Of course, nothing of what they wore could stand up to the fashion that these two certain women were wearing in the background. One of them had dark raven hair that seemed to have that blue effect when there was a light source hitting her strands, and the other had orange hair. They all were following the people and both had solemn faces upon their heads. It seemed like a pitiful sight, and for some reason, it never tugged at his conscious more than a small fraction. It seemed that he was getting colder these past fourteen years, even if it wasn't colder against his son.

It seemed that the Chosen had recognized the voices as well, for there seemed to be a look of immense horror upon her face. "Kratos! Isn't there something we can do about it? I don't think it's right that we just stand here and let this happen! I just...just can't enter the inn to rest if there are people out there, ready to die!" Her blue eyes were open wide and filled with determination. "As a Chosen, I am here to help them in their need!"

"If it is what you wish, Chosen One. However, you must note that it may be a fight that you could not be ready for. Are you able to accept this fate if it happens?" His red hair flicked slightly as he turned to stare at the direction that the group was heading towards. The women were still there, except this time, they seemed to be closer to tears than anything else. They were walking up towards a stone platform that Kratos was certain had no Summon Spirit. Whatever it was that demanded sacrifices, it was a false Summon. It could be a monster, perhaps. He could remember something from what he read many years ago.

The Chosen nodded her head as she began to run over towards the women.

Those women...Kratos could now see their faces clearly in the passing of the candlelight. They had the almost the same face that Anna did when she was getting ready to...tell him that she was dying and that she wanted Lloyd to be an Angel of Change._ Anna!_

"-tos! Let's hurry before Colette hurts herself in trying to protect them! I know that she wants to do a good thing, but she could kill herself!" came the cry from Raine as she hurried off towards the dais where the Chosen was easily seen running off towards.

"Let's go, Dad!" voiced his son as the brown hair chased after them all. Kratos allowed himself to follow, making sure that everything was set to follow a Chosen that was risking her life. _But...it seems to be for a noble cause._

---

"Spirit Seal! SERPANT SEAL! **DEMON SEAL!!!**"

"GROWL!!!!"

She dove underneath one of the giant hands that held a very dangerous and well crafted sword that gave off an evil aura. It was the color of black and gave forth an air that made her believe that she did NOT want to get sliced a minute bit by that thing. Unfortunately, it had given her a few nicks here and there, and it hurt. She was sweating. Her heart was pounding. Her eyes were in deep focus. Out in her hands were her newer cards that she was given to by Yuan. In between her index finger was a special card, however, and this fight was going to head towards that direction.

"Corrine, NOW!!!" she cried out as she pulled out a the blue card. _Grandfather...!_

---

"That isn't a Summon Spirit!" came the cry from Genis.

"It's a monster from a time long passed," came a correction from the mercenary. Lloyd noticed it as well and unsheathed his swords as he readied himself in a stance position. This monster was something from the time before his dad was born, and that made this thing _**really**_ old! In fact, these runes were something that came from that Baulecraft time!

Lloyd saw his dad raise his eyes towards the black thing. "Everyone, get ready." In the background, the two women who Raine had pushed back roughly, before they got eaten alive, were crying from possibly shock. There was something wrong about seeing these people in pain, even if they were Human. (But, his mom was, too! That made his thought process SO confusing!) The brown head child of the Seraphim ran forth.

---

"Aiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" she cried as she was pummeled into the sand dune of the far side. Her pink ribbon flowed in a way that rested softly, as if it had no idea that it was about to be ripped to shreds. "Oww..." she moaned slightly as jumped herself up. She was letting her emotions become the better of her, which was beginning to go against her training! She couldn't allow herself to compile the pains about her injuries because it would take her mind away from the fight!

"You are...not the one...to defeat me..." came the cry from the monster thing. It was beginning to stand over her body, which was still sprawled down upon the sandy floor. It was a very uncomfortable position as there were also lots of rocks poking into her side. Heat was not a talking point right then. It rose its hand that held the sword-

Sheena lunged her body out of the way and then threw herself up into the sky. Corrine followed suit and jumped out of the way as well, except managed to hang onto her ribbon to get higher. She brought forth her magical card and then grabbed the little "fox" and shoved it down in her hand.

"EAT THIS, DEMON!" she cried out as se was about to slam the combo into the thing's head.

---

"PHOTON!" came the large cry from Raine as she sent forth a ball of pure Light. It was her latest spell that she manages to learn after studying some book within the Tower of Mana, and she seemed to be using it rather well for just learning it a while ago.

Lloyd panted slightly, but that was out of adrenaline rather than the sense of fatigue. This was such a rush! AND, he was helping people, so that felt good. He charged forth, making the Mana flow into a Heavy Tiger Blade technique. It was not his best, but his dad still said to lay it back even if he could still call his dad "dad" in front of people.

Genis was coming in for the kill as well. "Come get some! Air Thrust!" he screamed.

---

Sheena gave the monster a hard kick in the head upon her fall down. The CorrinexCard combo left for some hefty damage until...

_No WAY!_ she screamed in her mind as she realized that her weapons were doing **absolutely** nothing! Only Corrine did, and it was still going for the kill, attacking anything that it could get it's feet upon. This couldn't be happening! Why were her attacks doing nothing when Corrine was adding damage?!? It seemed that the _thing_ knew it as well, for it was trying to go after the small animal-looking thing, only to find out hitting the small creature was difficult to do.

_Damn it all to hell! Why are my attacks doing NOTHING?!?_

---

Kratos pulled his sword away from the carcass of what was left of the monster. It made a gurgling noise before its Mana disappeared and it dissolved into the land around it In the background, the gasps from many of the villagers confirmed what these people had just accomplished. These people of unknown origin just ran into the fray and defeated the "Summon Spirit of the Wind." The first thing that the red head said to the people themselves was:

"This was a monster, not Sylph. Had this been Sylph, it should have come in three parts of fairies." His voice was trying to show these people some reason. How could they not tell that this was a monster bent on destroying the lives of innocent victims if cave paintings of Sylph were on their own ancient walls. Of course, they were deliberately removed of many things to tell automatically because of Cruxis' desires, but Sylph was still easily noticed.

"How did your father know it wasn't Sylph, Lloyd?" came the small whisper from the Chosen as she was talking to Lloyd in the background. It was apparent that she said it in a way that wasn't supposed to be heard by others, but his hearing was far too keen. "I thought it was a Summon Spirit until he said it was a monster."

"My...dad knows lots of things," came the whisper reply. "He also studies stuff like that." The Chosen One seemed to believe what his son told her. That was good, but it also made a small twinge of guilt pass by. He had lied to Anna about the truth, and he never told her; afraid of the judgment it would bring upon him, despite the fact he deserved it.

One man, perhaps the mayor of the city, walked up towards them with a stunned look upon his face. "At first I thought you guys were thieves, but then I saw the Chosen spread out her wings and fight with her skill! You are the Chosen's group, and you saved our village! I thank you!"

Lloyd, as well as almost everyone else, smiled at the thanks. "Man, I'm beat!" his son moaned slightly in pretend. "Come on Genis! Twelve Gald that they are going to let us sleep in the best inn for free."

---

Sheena pulled out one of her cards before flopping down towards the ground in exhaustion. She was sooo _tired._ She thought she won - most of the damage done by lucky Corrine - once the thing collapsed to the ground, but then it gathered itself together and left a chilling message.

_"You are strong, but...yet only strong enough...to defeat me in this form... I...must find something better...to fight..."_

With that, it simply walked away! _FUCK!_ she yelled in her head, angry at herself for being so weak. She even was wearing her Level _**4**_ Exsphere! The only good thing was that she got some junk! Corrine ran up to her lap and then began to pull put some of the gels that she had in storage around in many places. His little fags bit into one softly before he ran about and landed himself onto her lap.

"Sheena? Corrine says you should eat your health gel thingy. Corrine doesn't want anything bad happening to Sheena..." She moved her eyes to look down upon her little friend. _Oh, Corrine... You look so hurt too!_ With some gentle strokes, she ate her gel and then took one more out to feed the little guy.

It was already night. Sheena and Corrine just had barely enough time to hide their bodies from other's eyesight before crashing down into deep slumber.

---

Anna tried to get herself out of the barrel that had been one cramped place to stay in, but she was still stuck. Stuck good. In fact, this was her billionth time or so trying to get out of the stupid thing! At one point, she fell asleep and took a small nap until her barrel roll over and made her hit her head inside the thing. She was upset; glad that no one saw her non-Martel face going on, as well as her non-Martel attitude.

Her feet were still dangling when something gripped her boots before she saw the world flying around in a three-hundred and sixty degree tilt. Before she could say anything, there was Krantus in his typical pose. "We're here."

"Whadda mean, 'here'?" she asked, but then her eyes moved over towards the place where everyone, including Max, was looking. The green hair was flowing softly as she saw the rising towers and buildings, as well as the landmark lighthouse, of Palmacosta. _Wow... This is so much better than Triet ever looked like..._

---

__

I decided not to get my Beta for this chapter as delaying the fic any further would make me feel bad. XD Sorry Beta! Next chapter! -begs for forgiveness- I betcha you guys can tell a whole bunch of mistakes, too... lol...

Random 'Factoid' of AoC Time!!!  
Did you know...  
That this fic is going to hit its one-year anniversary mark in less than a few weeks?  
o.O That's amazing! I didn't let the fic drown in the water! (That's something I tend to do sometimes.)  
-laughs-  
SO, in an anniversary-like think of AoC,  
you guys think of something I should do to appease you, the fans. -nods- Ok?

On a random note...I've been lazy. That's why this update has taken as long as it has...  
I've been kinda busy updating my computer, reloading some more programs, and then heading off to translate some random stuff. -nods- On top of that, I also had to update my website as I have been neglecting it...

P.S. It was FREAKISHLY hard to do two fighting scenes at once. I hope I pulled it off!


	33. Chapter 33

Angels of Cruxis  
by: Fehize

---

The winds were making for one great deal of a night. There was the stars hanging high above, shining with such fervor, one could claim that those heavenly bodies were ending their lives with one bright show. There was a sense of emptiness all around the area. The only thing that was making noise was the sound of the golden flame eating away the very air, making heat for a group of people who have decided to huddle around it. The stars themselves, however, seemed to be the objects to watch that night. Not only were there stars out there amidst the dark blanket that was night, but there was _shooting_ stars as well. Each one of those dying stars left for a mighty impression: bright lights and streaks of pure color left for fading ribbons.

The only thing different from this whole area with lack of heat was the small glow of a fire that was smoldering slightly. It was the middle of the night, but there were three people awake at that time. One was getting ready to become a sacrifice for a fake idol, yet unaware of the truth. Another was a man who sometimes regretted everything he has done in and with his life, and the last one was a child; still too young and still too innocent to become lax and tired of the world that was filling him with wonder.

The campsite was large, and it had to be. There was still some unease as to what was going around everyone. For some reason, ever since the attack from the traitor, Sheena, the party was close, but not as close as it could have been. On one side of the area were the sleeping forms of the two half-elves, all huddled together and staying close to the fire. Next to them, perhaps about only a few feet away, was the fair, golden haired child who was the Chosen. She seemed to be fast asleep, allowing her body to stay perfectly still with her eyes closed, but it was all a giant act. She could no longer sleep any more than the two Seraphim could, and with the passing of the coming seal, she would no longer be able to feel.

On the far side, opposite of the fire, rested three things. One was the large green and white protozoan, who slept in the land of dreams, ignoring the show in the heavens. The other two things were actually related. The brown headed child placed his head nearby the person who was his father. It seemed to be an eternity before the man with the fire-red eyes muttered something to the figure next to him; to his only son.

"She used to love coming out here and look upon the stars with us, whenever she was not tired from our travels. You were only about one and a half then, but you were already obsessed with viewing the stars whenever you could. I guess I should have recognized it sooner, but as you being the child of a Seraphim and a human, you could stay awake for longer periods of time when normal babies should have been sleeping." The sound of the voices that were being discussed between them were at the softest they could both do, making sure that the Chosen One couldn't hear over them. Only they could tell what the other was saying; anyone else could hear nothing except the sounds of the wind and the sleeping animals.

"So, you traveled around? Weren't you in Cruxis? And how did you meet Mom?" His son's voice was quiet, but the sound of pure curiosity was easily noticed. Lloyd eagerly wanted to know everything about her, and for now, Kratos was going to tell. He was still unsure if it was the right thing to do, for Lloyd was raised to think a certain way about such 'inferior beings', but on the other hand...

"Yes, Lloyd. For about a few years I decided to travel around the declining world and just take a look. I was under no orders to do anything. At first, I posed myself as a mercenary in the Palmacosta region, but decided to move against it, as there was something going on with the Desians there, and I wanted nothing to do with them at that moment. Eventually, I wound my way up northward and ended up in the Luin area.

"It was there that I was using my services when I noticed there to be a commotion. I first assumed it was nothing really serious, and in a sense, it really wasn't. What had happened was that one of the people from the ranch had escaped, and was caught so close to the town's outer limits." What Kratos had not told his son, however, was the reason as to why he came down. True, he was not down upon the declining world because he was told to by Mithos, but he had begun to resent the ideas of Mithos even more. He had discovered his ex-best friend's plans to make the Unified World: this "New Age", as the leader of the angels personally called it. Even now, there are those thoughts that it is bad, but Anna's death wish still played in his mind here and there whenever he thought of it. Not only that, but he worried that if he left, would there not be a massive organization against him? Or, more importantly, against his son? These thoughts were so confusing: on one hand, there was his growing consciousness, and on the other, there was the thought that Cruxis was not for the betterment of the two worlds.

"Umm...Dad? Can you continue, please?" begged Lloyd as he turned his large eyes to his father to give him the puppy-dog face. It worked, and quenched those _other_ thoughts out of his head.

"For a while, I did absolutely nothing. But, after a while, I got...a bit bold - to say - in my thoughts and went about north to see what I can see. Eventually, I found your mother. At that time, I had no idea who she was, and vise-versa. She was in a bit of trouble, and I rescued her from some bad people who were trying to hurt her." Once again, not everything was told to its fullest. Yes, he did find Anna in the north, but she was in the Human Ranch. Yes, she was in a bit of trouble, but that was because everyone there at those places that mocked human life was in trouble. Yes, he rescued her, but in those carefully placed words he made it sound as if it was from some sort of thieves he rescued Anna from, and not the interior of a secured ranch. He had began to fester his thoughts against what he had spent more than four-thousand years of work to do, and in those moments, he decided to steal something from Cruxis that was bound to be important: the Angelus Project. He knew it was a female person, knew she was held there because she was the only one adaptable to it; knew that she was to be turned into a Cruxis Crystal and be given as a present to _Lord _'Yggdrasil'.

And that was why he took her.

Memories wanted to flood in again, as well as the thoughts of hatred against Cruxis. Those so-called angels with their so-called salvation was nothing more than a way to control the world. "At the beginning," continued the red headed man, "she despised me for my 'talkative' ways, yet was in deep gratitude for what I did for her. She had no money and wanted to repay me for my services to her, but I refused, as I rescued her because I felt she needed to be rescued. I offered to take her towards Luin and that was where we stayed for a while. No one was hiring a mercenary at that time, and Anna's family lived in that area." At this time, he turned around to face his son. All of this brought pain to his inner heart, and he wanted to dwell upon it no more for the time being.

"This is enough, Lloyd. Though you are eager to hear the rest...please wait until a later date."

"Awww..." came the small cry as the brown haired son turned his head up to see the shooting stars highlight the blackness.

---

"So...**this** is the Beaurcraft Mausoleum..." came the thought-filled voice of the white-haired half-elf, Raine. "It's a very amazing structure from times that are said to be prior to the Ancient Kharlan War, if that is to be believed. I always wanted to see this place up close!"

Lloyd turned his head to see his...'teacher' look happily at the buildings. She wasn't exactly running around, trying to touch the surface - like she attempted to do at the Fire Seal - with her hands, but her eyes were large. It was as if her pupils were trying to get everything in. "That Lumir from Asgard is such a nice person! He let us use the Beaurcraft Tablet to see where the Summon Spirit of the Wind was! To think that it's here, at one of the great tourist places of all Sylervant! Hard to believe!" The brown haired child of an angel noticed that the white-haired woman placed a hand underneath her chin. "Yes...Now that I think of it, most of the ancient places that have many tourists ARE the places that hold the Seals. This is amazing!!! I bet you guys, more than anything, that the last seal is in the Thoda Gyser! It makes perfect sense! A place, hard to get to by normal means, and is one of the great tourist places!"

Genis, the brown head's best friend - aside from Sheena, who he was still internally dealing with - gave him an apology look. Already they were about to enter inside, but both the buddies were busy looking at everything else.

"So, Lloyd. Now that this is the third seal, we have only one more left to go before we get to regenerate the world! Or should I say 'until Colette regenerates the world'?" His white hair swayed left and right as he turned to face the gapping hole that rested in front of them. It seemed to be that the Chosen One, Colette, had opened the door already, so everyone was getting ready to go inside.

"That's right, Genis! And then the world will be saved and everything!"

The inside of the temple was a dark blue color, with many ancient writings. Lloyd saw his father walking next to the Professor Raine and Colette, keeping ahead of the two friends, but not too far in front. Up ahead, there was nothing but a sense of eeriness. Raine was looking at things, but Lloyd decided that talking to Genis seemed to be much better - and more interesting - than looking at some ancient ruins that have been around since his father's time. If he wanted to see old places, he should just be looking around Welgaia instead. Things were much more interesting there than anywhere down here in these seal places. Well...that WAS until there was that boss person...

"So...what are you and your father going to be doing once the world is saved, Lloyd?" It was an innocent enough of a question. Even though Lloyd couldn't answer it fully, it was still innocent. Yet...there was some hint of something sad when the thoughts left from Lloyd's mouth.

"I think I am going to have to go back home with dad, as we are going to have major work to do."

Genis didn't really seem to understand. He really couldn't, of course. He didn't know the truth, even though it was apparent to everyone in Cruxis. The lower class Desians didn't know they were working for Cruxis, either. Only the upper class did. It was with this reason that Kratos refused to enter the Asgard ranch. Proynma was most certainly an 'upper-class' Desian.

---

Yggdrasil walked down the corridor of Welgaia, looking from one angel to the next. Each one was perfect, looking straight at him with such devotion that could only come from one thing: each one was filled with the thoughts of oneness. Each one was the same person. Each one was not about to become discriminate against each other. Only in Welgaia could such a place exist.

And soon, with this new Chosen, he will make the whole world like this. Everyone will become happy, he will finally get to be with Martel - his sister, and then all would become one large utopia. The Renegades will, naturally, have a chance to redeem themselves and join, but if they resist, they would be taken down. Nothing could ruin his idea.

But first thing was first. He needed to get that newest Chosen One united with Martel. She was the best Mana signature in the past four-thousand years, and he was getting excited. No one could stop his triumphant moment. Not even those darn, blasted Renegades that were always hanging around. They were always there, like a scab that wasn't quite ready to be picked away. Or in this case, those inferior beings who had to stay around for the sake of harvesting Exspheres. And then, once half of them were turned into Exspheres, the other half will become angels, and they will no longer be inferior. Then, and only then, will the world be perfect and unified, and he will finally get to be with his sister.

There was a silent moment as the leader of all the angels floated around from one place to another. He was very busy, and deep, in thought, so he was irked when someone surprised him. He was about to turn around and chastise whoever it was when he noticed it was none other than the leader of the Five Grand Cardinals.

"Lord Yggdrasil," she began with that high pitched, annoying voice of hers, "I have sent the news to Zelos, as you already know, and I have invited him to see you, since that is what you desire." Proynma: now there was a person who was all for the unification of the world. Though she had her down moments, she was an excellent pawn and was fully devoted to the cause that was Cruxis. Now, she was about to add another new pawn, and this pawn was to help make the world's unification happen faster. He was already turning giddy at that thought. Once the Chosen finished merging herself - that, of which he was most sure will happen - with Martel, he could save the doomed world.

"Excellent, Proynma," the leader of the Seraphim, Desians, and Cruxis began. "Bring him in. There are many things which we would need to discuss, together. Also, while you are at it, call in Remiel."

With a swift and elegant bow, she turned around and teleported out of the room. "Oh, my sweet sister, Martel. Soon, soon I will be seeing you once again..."

------

It began with a pain to the chest.

Lloyd's face was placed into a pained position. He wasn't in DEEP pain, but he sure was in some sort of pain. Actually, it seemed almost close to an irritation, except there was nothing to get irritated from here. It felt something like... He couldn't find a word to place this feeling down on. It was too...difficult to describe. All he knew at that moment was that his chest was hurting...

He glanced around his room. Though he no longer really needed sleep, the bed was still there, if only for memory. In fact, sometimes he just rested there for a few minutes - rarely, even hours - just to remember how it was to sleep. In many ways, he was glad he was always awake: it gave him more time to do things and learn. It also made him different from the humans, which Yggdrasil/Mithos always said was a big thing to be proud of. Angels, and more importantly, Seraphim, were the holiest of things. On the other hand, he was unsure about this loss: his father always had this sad face upon his head. It was confusing, the thoughts of his father's against Yggdrasil's, but he often ignored the conflict. After all, humans were nice, humans were also the Exspehere's life-support system, but...humans also had feelings. That was something his dad drilled in his head, all the time. They were different from angels. Mithos may say that humans were inferior due to this, but did not the Seraphim have feelings as well? If they believed that having emotions was inferior, then why do they call themselves superior?

And his chest pain was still getting bigger. It was rather annoying, now. Actually, he was surprised he could feel the pain. At the age of fifteen years, his feeling was basically all but gone. Maybe something else was going away, but he couldn't exactly run up to his father. His dad was busy doing "stuff."

---

It was later in the day when Lloyd felt even WORSE. He felt tired, and dizzy, all of a sudden. Not only that, but the gem - Cruxis Crystal was the only logical thing that he could think of - that was hidden under long-sleeved clothing was shining a bit brightly. It was a pale, blue color. It was odd, 'cause Cruxis Crystals were...red...

There! The pain started again, except this time it was in the middle of him trying to catch a breath! Lloyd struggled to understand, but his mouth refused to get any air in his lungs! _What the hell is going on?!?_ He opened to try again, but nothing succeeded! He felt like what his dad called "a fish without water," and he wasn't feeling good at all. It didn't HURT a lot, but it was...painful in a different sense.

It was at this moment that his daddy arrived in the room, as if he could hear the small, silent gasps that refused to access any air. It was as if he was sent forth from lightning, as he dove right towards the teenager and clutched him in a way that was not often of his father's normal emotional range. His father's face couldn't be seen, but Lloyd guessed it was worry. Heck, the brown haired teen was worried as well! His lungs were not working!!!

"Lloyd..." began the small, depressed voice of his father. It was odd. Normally, this voice was not heard unless... "Lloyd, you are experiencing one of the last angel transformations, at a bit. You are losing your ability to have the need for lungs." He embraced him tighter, which seemed to calm down the teen, if slightly. "For a while, you are not going to be able to talk, but it will pass. Once it does, your speech will return, and you can breathe when you wish, but you will not have to anymore."

Thus, Lloyd stayed silent, plopping his head down in the chest of a man who was beginning to believe he did the wrong thing.

It was a long, and silent, month.

------

Yes, this is a late update, but I have a life everyone. - nods - - laughs - I needed the month or so off, anyways. Had to get stuff for my new college room, do college stuff, etc. So... yah...  
I am REALLY sorry for being this late, though. I mean, I guess I also got a bit lazy. At least it wasn't writer's block... -nervous sweat- Umm... Yah... But, I guess my "Sorry"s, "Gomen ne"s, and "pardona me"s aren't going to work a whole lot.  
AND I went on vacation!!!! So...no computer time there. XD It was the beach so...-laughs-

HAPPY ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY, AoC!!!!!!! -changing subject-

Long, Stereotypical List of Thanks by an Obsessive FanAuthor!!!  
-laughs-  
  
**To You:** - does for you a happy dance - Without you, this would have most certainly die; horribly. I would have perhaps left this in the dirt and ignored it forever. All of your thoughts and words and random attacks from chibis have made me into one happy person! **To My Sister:** She helped me think up of the "what-if"to begin with, 'n gentle nudges, when we were discussing Tales of Symphonia...'cause we were bored. - nods with a nervous laugh - Yes, this story actually started because of sheer boredom. And also for her help in random Beta-like sporratic moments of Beta-ism. -laughs- (Lol...She just edited that last sentence. XDDDD And that last one, before this one, as well. -dies-) **To My Flash Drive: **R.I.P. **To People Who Were Inspired(?) By Me/This Fic:** You know who you are. - big toothy smile - And if I wrote well enough to make you inspired, then horray! My writing is good! XDXDXD **To My Beta: **For allowing yourself to Beta this horrendously LONG fic, pointing out my bad grammar that needs to be much changed. And for forgiving me whenever I miss chapters to Beta, which is sadly more often in summer. (However, once school starts, expect me to bug you more often! -laughs-) **And Finally, to Myself:**  
'Cause I'm just that "vain." -bigger laugh-

To celebrate one year of loyalty or whatever it's called, I drew a random picture! I have it inked and linked (lol, rhyming) in my profile! Enjoy people!!! As for a special request by a reader... Expect that soon, too. (You lucked out 'cause I have been intending that, but not so soon... - sweat - You might have to wait for a bit...)

P.S.S.S.S.S. Sorry for this, Beta. Once again, I go through this, Un-Beta-ed. -sighs- I'm going to try my hardest and get the next chapter Beta-ed, though. By then, school should be right around the corner, and my updates should be coming in more often than once every month or so. -nods-

SORRY AGAIN, EVERYONEEEEEEEEE!!!!!  
-bows and begs for many forgiveness-

Random Poll:  
Now, this is really random, but...  
What pairings would you have here? And think along the AoC line, ok? Well, you don't HAVE too, as this is a random poll. XD I was just wondering, mainly 'cause...just 'cause! XDDDDD  
-arrow. UsingthisasanexcusetogetMORECOMMENTSFORFEHIZEMONSTERRRRRRRRRRR!!! end arrow-


	34. Chapter 34

_Angels of Cruxis  
by: Fehize_

---

"Wanna charge?!? Lightning Blade!" came a scream as the small, little half-elf threw his hand in the air as he summoned forth a large sword from the heavens. The air crackled as the little bolts of lightning hit the surrounding areas.

A certain wind coming forth from the dark night was blowing around through what seemed to be a battle field. There was a rush of heat as metal touched metal; as lightning arched throughout the sky. With only a few moments or rest, the sky danced with more effects than normal.

The certain wind was not normal, like the rest of the other winds that blew through these ancient ruins. It began to circle into one massive twist, arching itself on the ground before going vertical. It was a whirlwind of green air, spinning fast; attracting three small figures. Such figures began to spin, and each of them tried to stay in a defensive position as much as they could before being plunged upon the ground. One of them managed to stay upright and then brandished a golden-brown sword, curved and made with a lovely design in mind. She lunged her body forward, her feathers behind her fluttering fast to propel herself towards a figure dressed in red.

With sudden accuracy, one silver sword ripped through the wing, and the other blocked off the attack that the feathered female tried to bring forth. With a quick and happy grin, the young teenager threw the feathered figure off towards a rock where she plopped and fell limp. Two more cries rang out in the wind, but a certain white haired figure in the background howled something new, and a large stone rose from the ground, piercing one more fluttering female.

The last one held forth a bow, but she soon flew up into the sky. With the wind still rising over the people's voices, every sound that was being made could not be heard unless you dwelled among the ebbs of the flow. Aiming down, her indigo hair billowing, she sent forth a volley of arrows, thinking she was safe since she was using height as an advantage. With precision, the arrows stabbed through the sleeve of the red dressed boy, and the other almost hit the spell caster. However, just when the female was about to send out another volley, the brown-headed teenager on the floor smiled.

In a flash, green-blue wings erupted from his back as he zoomed up to her height. Stunned, the female could do nothing as a silver blade touched her neck. Sighing, she motioned she forfeited and then they both gently descended towards the ground level. The moon was already hitting the white marble flooring as well as the round seal that a certain Chosen had unleashed only hours prior.

Small words echoed from the floor. "Ah, SHIT! Yutis! WE _**lost**_!"

"Fairess, we wouldn't have lost if you only flew up ten more feet!"

Lloyd Aurion laughed slightly as he checked to see his shirt. There was a small rip from where the arrow hit him, but he couldn't feel the pain. With his two fingers he quickly pointed at himself to heal that one wound, and then took a walk over towards Genis, who was scratched here and there. With a small mutter, both were in full health relatively soon. Sitting down, Lloyd brought out a little sack with thread and needle and began to patch up their clothing in little stitches to make sure no one - not even the young Seraphim's father - could realize that they went fighting with a Summon Spirit.

"How the hell could we have won?!? He was a friggen ANGEL! He was all BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM! RAY! HOLY LANCE! BAM BAM BAM! And then, _**there**_ goes the little midget goin' all 'I'm gonna burn ya suckers into a big ball of DoOm!!!!'" Fairess, the one with the pink hair and petal-looking things for wings, argued.

"Well," began Yutis, the blue one, "I believe we lost decently. In fact, I'm amazed he won with only two people. Neer nerr." Obviously, she was taunting.

"WHY YOU LITTLE-!"

"SISTERS!" yelled the one in green. (Lloyd didn't exactly pick up her name.) "You outta be ashamed of yourselves. Come. We lost, now he must be allowed to set the pact. Stop acting like idiots. I'm sure that after almost 2,000 years of captivity you want to move and stretch your wings, but we have a duty to perform first!" In the background, Genis muttered something that made the red-clothed duel swordsman laugh. With a sudden quickness, the feathered member of the trio turned to face Lloyd. "Lloyd Aurion! State your means of the pact!"

Inside his mind, Lloyd was happy. He was getting his _second_ Summon Spirit underneath his grips, and that would leave...a whole lot more left. BUT, at least he would be able to say he has at least two. "Sylph! I vow that I shall prevent people from befalling under the same fate that my mom went through, no matter what!"

"Fine," muttered Fairess as she rubbed her buttocks. Genis had landed a pretty nice hit there with his Mana. "Just don't let that elf-kid run around and zap my ass no more!"

With a swift thonking noise, Yutis slammed her palm into the pink one's head. "Fairess, shut up."

---

Sheena was beginning to run as fast as she could, spending almost no time resting before picking up the trail again to head towards the northern pass where she was certain that Lloyd and everyone else were at. Inside her heart, she wondered why Cruxis couldn't help her, or her world! But she trusted Yuan in the sense that if she killed someone from this world, her world will stay safe. Mizuho will stay safe.

And Kratos? And Lloyd? Yuan said to try to capture Lloyd. How the hell was she supposed to do that? Walk up to him? And then, if she could manage to get near him, his father would come out and show the side that she was quite sure she never wanted to see. She has heard horror stories from Lloyd when he was young; stories he thought were neat, cool, awesome, and exciting.

They scared the shit out of her.

"Sheena? Corrine wants to know if you are ok. You seem really down and stuff like that. Are you worried that you are lost?" A little bell chime was what symbolized that Corrine was following her footsteps. "Corrine says that everything is going to turn out to be alright, and that nothing would go wrong. Please understand that, Sheena! Corrine still loves you!"

A small smile formed on her face. It has been days, weeks, maybe a month since the run in with that mysterious skeleton. Outside from that, she had heard news from riders, flying on dragons, that the Chosen's group had already entered Asgard and for their last trip before heading south towards the pass north of Palmacosta.

At the corner of her eye, she could see a group of many people standing around. _Hmm..._ she thought as she distanced herself from them. It was rather odd seeing so many people huddle together like that. One sat away from the rest of them, but the others were all laughing and teasing each other. Well, all except this one clothed dude. With a small patter of her feet, she allowed herself to get closer to them. There were many steep hills in the area, so she began to climb up one of them silently.

"-easiest amount of Gald I have made in a while, I must admit! What do you think, Lady Martel?"

"I think it's wrong, sick, and disgusting... Yet this ruby speaks for itself, sadly."

"_That's_ the spirit, Lady Martel! We'll make you a stronger fighter yet! People will fear you and your very pointy stick!"

"Hmph. I believe we should be going sometime soon. Loido, Coletta, Jineasa, and Martel, we must get ready to go. Asgard is waiting for the Chosen."

"Krantus..." came a reply from a girl dressed in blue. Sheena snuck in a bit closer to see everyone in greater detail. There seemed to be a lady with _green_ hair walking around next to them. In one hand, she held some really sharp looking stick. Personally, it was nothing that Sheena couldn't really handle, but nevertheless it was her mission to find the Chosen: NOT meddle around with this new and strange group of people. _'Asgard is waiting for the Chosen,' eh? Looks like I'm almost there._

_Yet...Lloyd and Kratos. Those two people. Hell, even Noishe! What am I supposed to do then? Sure, for NOW it's a search and stalk method - granting I must be far away enough to not be spotted - but at the Thoda Gyser? My actual attack point? Damn all of this to hell! Why couldn't it have been a simple, one sweep kill?!? Why couldn't I only have to attack that Chosen with no Lloyd or the rock of his father!?!? Goddess MARTEL it all!_

_What was that girl's name again?_

_No way. There are fakes over here, too?_

With swiftness and with a new-found eagerness, she edged her body even closer. No, she was not claiming this woman to be Martel, but there were always those few crazy-heads who claimed _they_ were. Those crazy people tended to get a whole lot of gifts, and WAY too much credit. It was always funny to see the fakes get exposed, though. But, if she **was** a fake, that could mean only one thing:

The Chosen was on her way. (Or at least, that's what Sheena personally thinks. In Melitokio, a couple of 'Martels' came about to see Zelos. So, she's assuming it's happening here as well.) "Corrine. I think we should follow these people momentarily. I believe that they know more or less where the Chosen could be. At the least, they can guide us all the way towards the pass.

That Martel lady, though... She seemed to be the most intriguing of all the characters. She couldn't place it exactly with her tongue, but it was something to further investigate. She seemed really young, and oddly enough...her physical looks came actually REALLY close to the statues hanging around what Zelos - the perv - had called his "Wonderful and Enticing Church of Love!"

---

Lloyd yawned slightly as he snuggled his body closer towards his father's. Sometimes, his dad said he was 'too old to follow the same child-like manner,' but it ALWAYS made him feel all fuzzy inside, and he _loved_ feeling fuzzy. If he could close his eyes and think really hard, he could sometimes remember a light stroke that did not come from his dad. It seemed to be gentler... But, that memory was always hard to come by.

They were spending the night nearby the northern pass that would eventually lead them south towards Palmacosta. His father said it was an ocean, but he has yet to see one up close. Colette, Raine, and Genis were all huddled around the fire, but Lloyd was happily snuggling up next to his Daddy.

Daddy. He rarely uses that word, lately. But now...it seems that he want to use it more. Dad seemed so formal, but Daddy seemed neater and much more...closer. He LOVED his dad - er... Daddy - sooooo much. Whenever he needed something, his dad was there. His _Daddy_ was there. Be it from things ranging from a slight scratch to a worrisome thought from his child, Lloyd could tell his dad basically anything.

Yet, this Summon Spirit thing was still on the hush-hush side. He thinks he should wait a bit before explaining that to his Daddy. He didn't want his dad to know yet, mainly for the fact he was afraid of what his father would tell him. Would he be happy about it, or would he upset? Now, Lloyd was never told about how Mithos gained his powers, but he does know that his dad said it dealt with something called the 'Ruling Forces of Mana', which is either a) the ancient Khlarlan Tree (which is technically called the Kharlan Seed as it's...a seed...Yeah...) or b) something dealing with Summon Spirits. Then, there was something dealing with the Eternal Sword, but his dad never fully explained that detail to him. Oh well.

And if that was the case, Lloyd Aurion, the newest Seraphim, would be screwed over by his dad before Mithos could even **blink**.

Two Summon Spirits down and only too many left. As for Origin, he wasn't even going to bother with that. After all, the whole 'Dad's tied to it' ordeal isn't making the seal worth it. Come on, the Summon Spirit pacts are only 'cause he's getting bored, and fighting in Lloyd a 'la Angel is fun! And with Genis there, it's even MORE fun! (Besides, it gives Genis more practice.)

"Dad? Hey, Daddy? I got a question."

There was some silence as Kratos' eyes took a few moments to look at him. They were earlier residing among the stars hanging high above. Lloyd could only guess that his father was thinking about his mom, Anna. Sometimes, it worried the Seraphim's child that his dad dwelled upon the past so often. Sometimes, Lloyd saw the frowns and sad looks that were hidden from everyone else.

He also saw the looks that his father gives him when Lloyd does something that his mom did before.

"Ask away, Lloyd," began the Seraphim as he finally did a small hug back. It was quick, but at least it was a hug! Or something like a hug.

"I was wondering. Once the Journey is over... What ARE we going to do? I mean, since..." Lloyd kept his voice in a really low, quiet tone. Colette was still around nearby, and she could hear almost as well - or just about - as he could. 'Course, his dad was better, but that was 'cause his dad had _**years**_ of experience. "Since," he continued as his brown hair moved slightly in the breeze, "she has the closest signature to Martel... Say Martel comes back. Then what? Would we start making the Age of Lifeless Beings, like Mithos wants?"

Lloyd didn't know wither he said something wrong, but his dad certainly tensed up. Mainly, the sudden change in attitude came when Lloyd had uttered the words 'Age of Lifeless Beings.' He didn't understand what was wrong, but to the stars...they knew.

They understood what was going on through a certain Seraphim's head as he turned to face his son. It was apparent that this man's child, a child who looks like any average teenager, had almost no heart for anything outside of Cruxis. The child was raised under Cruxis' hand; raised to become a good Angel. The child understood friendship, love, hate, fear, and order, but his childhood had also been one that claimed anything of an inferior race could be used. Humans and Chosens were to be tools and have no remorse.

"Lloyd...do you feel anything for what the Chosen is going to undergo?" came a soft question. The embrace of father to son had paused momentarily, and the question was making a brown-headed person wonder what his father was thinking.

"Well...she is my friend and all, but isn't she supposed to...you know...die for Martel and stuff?" It made a bit sense to Lloyd because Cruxis had always said that reviving Martel, Mithos' sister, was of upmost importance. "Sure, I do feel a bit bad for going to have to make her go through this, but it's all for the better, right? The world will be a better place! Right, Daddy?"

Silence.

---

It was morning as Raine's hair billowed in the wind. As she turned to face the sun rising over the peaks of the mountains, she made sure that everyone was safely behind her. The two Aurions were following Colette, the Chosen One, and her brother was tagging along towards the left of Lloyd. _Angels..._ she thought for a moment. _With only one major seal left before the final one located within the Tower of Salvation, they must show more of themselves. Clearly, such Seraphim could not be as strong as these two are letting on. The must be even stronger, less all of my research is indeed wrong._

"Whew! Look at that view everyone!" happily exclaimed the blonde haired teen as she ran to get Lloyd's hand. "Let's go see the top and admire the view, alright?" Without much of an answer, the Professor saw the eager Chosen grab the stunned teen by the arm even tighter as she ran towards the top. With another second, she grabbed Genis as well. "It'll be fun!"

Raine was tagging along with Kratos now, being as she wasn't exactly going to run off from the edge of the mountainside towards the tip. Besides, with everyone else gone, she could begin to pry a bit more into the 'mercenary's' head. With a little quick shuffle of her feet, she eventually found her way towards the right side of the stoic man. "So..." she began, trying to hide curiosity from her voice. "I understand that you and Lloyd have been around for a while, haven't you? I mean, traveling together and other things around like that."

His response came back in a manner that showed nothing more that could be read between the lines. "Yes, Lloyd and I have been together for a long time."

Thinking of another wise question, she probed in more. "So, apparently, you seem to be at least forty or so, right? That old man at Hima said that he recognized you, and that you haven't aged a bit. Therefore, you somehow found a way to stay young looking in your travels, am I right?"

It seemed that Kratos did not like where the conversation was going. With a quick turn, he aimed his gaze - his glaring one - at the white haired half-elf and then said nothing as he walked to follow his son. Raine could feel herself gulp silently as she stayed rooted to her spot. It seemed to be that she was still frozen by his darn glare.

_I'll get my proof yet, Seraphim. If not by you, then by your child. And then...I'll ask what it is that you do. I'll ask if you have seen the Goddess Martel. I'll ask about Cruxis. I'll as to why this cycle of Chosens fail to stay permanent._

_---_

The view was amazing, as Anna had to admit. She was stunned by the fact that the sheer height made itself quite the viewpoint. It was also very romantic in the sense that there were so many vivid colors. Easily a make-out center had it not been for the simple fact that she was date-less and boyfriend-less. Not that she really cared, but...

Her fortelling's eye hasn't been much help, either. All she saw was a bunch of glitter. Big whooping, doopie doo.

The travels with the 'Chosen's' group were going along rather well. They have made a whole crap-loads amount of bling bling, but...sometimes she wondered where they got it from. Earlier yesterday they had run into a group of thieves who attacked and tried to KIDNAP her! With some help from Jineasa, Coletta, Krantus, and Loido, as well as her staff, they all attacked the bandits and won. When they pillaged their corpses - NOT under her 'things I like to do' list - there were a lot of precious gems and other whatnot.

"Well, I guess this is where we kinda say good-bye!" said the brown haired Coletta. "Lady Martel, your travel with us has given us much luck, but I am afraid we'll have to leave you here. Your path takes you wherever you said it does, and our takes us to Asgard." It was true. Anna had thought that she should just stay by the pass and make sure that she wouldn't miss them.

"SWEET! You are SOOO right, Colette! This view _**is**_ amazing! Isn't that right, Genis?"

"It sure is, Lloyd! The colors are awesome!"

"I think so too-"

BAM! Something landed right upon Anna's beautiful - if yet, green - hair. She let out a little yelp of pain and shock as a yellow thing fell on her face as well. "Whoops. I think I tripped on something."

"Gemth offf!!!" the green haired, and very much so angry, woman yelled as she tried to kick the attacker off of her. Using her hands, she pulled off the bundle and threw whatever it was towards the ground. "Ouch!" In the background, she heard Loido and Jineasa snicker slightly as she began to dust herself off. Krantus was the only one not doing much of anything as he helped Anna get up.

"Lady Martel, are you alright?" he asked in his deep voice. (It creeped her out sometimes.)

"Yeah, yeah...Oi!" she started right away as she helped the bundle up as well. It took a while, but by then there was a little grey-haired midget and a brown-haired teen huddling around the blonde. It took a while for it to register, but it clicked. _This is the Chosen! I remember her!_

"Mistress Colette, are you alright?" she questioned as she heard the footsteps of two more people approaching. Make that three as some weird dog thing was coming right after the dude in spandex. Wait. That was Mr. Kratos! It was that man who thought himself really high and mighty and who didn't seem to like her talents all that well.

"Chosen, are you fine?" he asked her, ignoring the fact that _she_ asked that question right before.

In the background, Jineasa, Krantus, Coletta, and Loido all went really quiet before Loido ran up towards Kratos. "Excuse me, but did you just say, 'CHOSEN'?!? I have you know here, MISTER, that Coletta is the real Chosen of the world, sent by the Angels of Heaven herself!"

Anna turned her eyesight from Kratos to Loido, then from Lloyd to Krantus, and then... _Ohhhhhhhh... I KNEW these people were punning someone!_

"Who are you?" asked Kratos as his eyesight ran the souls of everyone else over. It didn't help that his voice was having little daggers at the end of each syllable. He had yet to see her 'cause she was no longer standing next to Krantus, but still...

Loido pushed his gloves into a fist. "My name is Loido! I'm the leader of this group! This is Coletta, the Chosen of Regeneration! Over here is Krantus, our mercenary! And this is my best friend, Jineasa, our mage!" He pointed straight at the red haired man, who kept his same glare at the man who dared to do such action. "Who do you think you are, FAKES?!?"

Now, the setting was right next to a whole bunch of knights and pilgrims, as well as priests, from the Palmacosta region. With the words 'fakes' tied right next to the words 'Chosen of Regeneration' aimed at the REAL Chosen... Well, you could just tell that the people watching this spectacle were getting rather angry. How dare anyone mimic the Chosen they love so much and care deeply for?

Loido, the idiot, pulled out his double swords as Anna widened her eyes and blinked before watching Jineasa pull out her staff. "Fake Chosens will be dealt with!" they both screamed as they began to launch themselves towards battle positions.

It was going to get ugly really fast.

---

_-evil laughter-  
Lloyd has almost no heart._

_Ahem. Anyways, yup. LATE yet again! EXCEPT, school has begun, which now equals MORE TYPING TIME! Yeah!  
-begs for forgiveness once more from Beta- I, Fehize, do so solemnly swear that I will get you to Beta come next chapter! I SWEAR!_

_Yes. Hope you liked this chapter a WHOLE lot (or at least, kinda). In the next one, expect stuff! Yay for stuff!_

_As for that pairing question, it has nothing to deal with the story. I was just wondering what the crowd had thought about pairings in general to make sure that I wouldn't stomp on someone's pairings by accident. Now, personally, I like Sheelloyd and Kranna (duh), but I'm not going to force my opinions for my pairings on a story where I try to make little to no romance. Why? I hate doing romance. Especially since pairings ensue war, and that equals bad._

_That's not to say no to romance. I guarantee at least one pairing. -evil snicker-_

_**REVIEW FOR REVIEW-EATING MONSTA FEHIZE!!! RAWR!!!!!!!!**_


	35. Chapter 35

_Angels of Cruxis  
by: Fehize_

---

There was silence all around a certain area of land that rested on the top of a pass between two inaccessible peaks. The sun hit those tops every day, but even the heat could not exactly go and melt the tops of the snow-capped tops. Even at such high altitudes, clouds began to form. Each one was large, pristine, and fluffy. Each one seemed to be calling a certain flying 'species' to land upon the tops and play with the molecules of water.

These clouds were drifting among the ground, for they were touching the mountain. One wisped around the feet of a certain red-haired man as his eyes were set in a determined gaze, fortelling the future, but yielding nothing. In his gloved hands he held a long, razor sharp, double-edged blade. On his left side, there rested a golden object of some kind with a red gem, that seemed dulled and perfectly round. The wind picked up slightly as it moved the tips of the man's impossible hair, making it seem like something alive.

The blade was made of some fine metal: silver. Large and broad, lined with mythical symbols amid a navy blue background; it shimmered in the afternoon sun. It was poised, upright and its sharp edge was aimed directly at the one who wore a cape; the one named Krantus. The enemy of the man with the fire in his eyes was also holding forth a double edged sword, except his seemed to be made of a lesser material. That man was standing still against his opponent, but the Seraph's gaze was enough to stop him dead in his tracks for a brief couple of agonizing seconds.

On the other side, where the cloud had wrapped its way around the feet of a small half-elf, there resided two people clothed in blue. A female figure was holding forth a wooden staff, and the other was gripping forth a kendama. An invisible wall of static jumped between both of their eyes. The taller one eyed the small child with laughter in her eyes, but the lad only hid a small smirk. Already, one could see the faint outline of a spell getting ready to be fired.

Next to the small elfin-like boy was a girl with golden hair. She held forth something akin to a Frisbee, and her face was set in a tough rigor. Hatred and disgust were seen coming out from that once-'angelic' face. It was far opposite to the fair-haired girl, who seemed to carry around an air that she was sorry this was starting. Her white clothing was gently wafting up and down as she tightened her grip. With an almost unseeable motion, she moved her feet into a better position.

A tall, half-elf girl stood in the area between those two, her facial features set into a downward curve as her eyebrows furrowed. To her, it was a scandalous thought that anyone would dare impersonate the Chosen of Mana. In her mind, she began to think of the ONE offensive spell that she knew: Photon. If worse came to worse - she had no idea of these people's skills - she was mentally ready to attack.

In the far distance, however, were two figures. One was in hiding, and the other was _trying_ to get into hiding.

"How DARE you impersonate us, you...you _imposters!_" came the loud yell from the one who called himself Loido. He already had his weapons out and aimed it straight at a certain brown-haired teenager. "COME GET _**THIS!**_"

And with that, it began.

Lloyd grabbed his twin blades out from their sheathes as Loido ran forth and began to try to send forth a Demon Fang. Smiling, the son of the Seraph sent forth his own. Clashing, they formed one, but then dissipated after swallowing each other up.

"HAH! Well, I can do BETTER than THAT! YAYYYYYY! Double Demon FANG!"

The steal blade from Loido came rushing down as two white auras, exploded from the ground, and began to rush straight at him. With a graceful jump, Lloyd managed to get on top of a rock and then hoped over the two waves of pulsing Mana. "Super Sonic Thrust!" he yelled upon nearly jumping on his enemies head.

"Wanna charge?! Thunder Blade!" came a different cry in the background as the Heavens erupted. A sword materialized and slammed its hilt against Jineasa's female figure. With the large explosion that came afterwards, she was sent hurtling towards the mountainside in a massive heap. Following her was the wooden, and broken, staff, which bonked her on the head while she was trying to get up.

Loido charged for another round as Lloyd defended with his own techniques. Already he could tell that Double Demon Fang was the most this other person could do, since he did not have an Exsphere. Inside, he was smiling. This was the first non-traitorous fight against humans that he had ever had! It was fun, running around and hitting people with a pair of metal sticks.

Loido grunted. "Damn you! How the hell," there was a clash of sparks as two blades met, "are you so strong?!"

With a smirk, the teen responded. "I'm just a better fighter, that's all. I learned from the best." With that, he kicked Loido right where it hurts, and then pointed his swords towards the recovering body. "Ice Tornado." With that command, a whirlwind of frozen chunks picked up as the fake began to get pelted by frozen pieces of the atmosphere.

"HOW DARE YOU! THAT WAS AN ANCIENT PIECE OF HISTORY YOU JUST BROKE!" screamed Raine as she took a look at what was once an ancient pottery piece. It was a gift from Asgard, and it was something that a certain Professor was looking forward to examining in more detail. "MASSIVE DiSrEsPeCt!" she said with a yell

Raising her staff, she whammed it right in the skull of Coletta, allowing her body to fall down slightly. That was, until she turned around and kicked her away at least five feet. With a small "Oomph," the brown-haired woman sagged into unconsciousness.

Everyone had fallen down, except for...

Lloyd turned his head, as well as everyone else. The crowd was stunned at what had just happened, but even they turned their heads and watched the scene unfold.

Kratos was defending against all of the other man's attacks, and he was doing it with an effortless poise. His manner, the way he was gripping the sword... All were in ways that showed that he knew what he was doing, and he was only playing with you. The gruffer looking man tried to bring down his sword onto the cranium of the redheaded man, but with a master's fluid motion, he stepped out of the way.

Holding onto his silver sword, Kratos took one step forward, parried the sword strike from his opponent, and then he hit the man with the butt end of the sword, right in the gut. Disarming him as he fell, he held the blade at the man's throat, coldy implying that if he so desired, Krantus would have been dead by now.

Lloyd, as well as Genis, whistled. _**That**_ was awesome!

"Chosen, are you alright?" he said with a glance towards Colette. After making sure that everyone else was fine first, she nodded.

"Yup! I'm all good!" However, upon those words, she began to walk over to the fallen members of the other team. With each little pitter patter of her feet, the eyes of the neighboring people around them widened. "I'm sorry you guys. Are all of you ok?" With a grace that rivaled the ancient scripts of what Cruxis said angels were, she placed her hands together.

"Y...You are the CHOSEN ONE?!?" yelled the imposter Kratos as he grunted. "That's impossible!"

The crowd gathered all around and began to argue and about then. "She's the Chosen?!" "Impossible!" "She just beat up the one who held the ancient book!" "But she defeated those others!" "She looks like a fake!" "Agreed! Chosen's don't look ANYTHING like her!"

Lloyd noticed that Colette seemed saddened by their words, but Genis and Raine seemed upset. Even _he_ was, for the mere fact they were calling him a fake. How dare they! To prove that Colette was the Chosen, after all, Lloyd decided to do something rash.

"SHUT UP!" he cried out, making everyone turned stunned for a few moments. "Colette here _IS_ the Chosen of Regeneration, and I can very much so prove it!" With that, he pulled his hand into a little fist, making one finger - his pointing finger - come out fully stretched. With a swift, yet not painful, jab, he poked the blonde haired girl in the base of the shoulder blades. With a confused expression from her face coming out at first, as well as a little 'eep', it was a large shock to the people who didn't believe the truth when large and pink wings came out from her back.

There was stunned silence for a few moments as Lloyd and Genis gave them all a victory smirks.

---

There seemed nothing to do except look at her ex-traveling companions getting tossed around like little sack potatoes. She was now even MORE happy that none of them were looking at her, so she would have been on her way if...

She hadn't remembered that THAT girl right there was the Chosen! _I have to warn them!_ she cried out in her head with a determined expression. She was just going to wait until all of the other people calmed themselves down for a bit. Already they were trying to say sorry as many times as they could, making sure that they were forgiven for their mistakes.

It took a lot of her patience to just hang there and look at them, but she had no need to go on ahead and wait for long. There was a woman - Professor Rain? Professor Crane? - who spotted her first, after cleaning and dusting herself off from a random burst of yelling. Her white hair gracefully fell back in place, when she took a look over towards the green-haired 'Martel', her lips pursed into a frown.

"And who are you, Madam? Don't think I didn't see you wandering around these fakes. You **were** with them, and now it seems as if you wanted them to leave you alone. Who were you supposed to be? 'Moraine'?" Her blue eyes looked at her as Anna was trying to descend from the tops of the rocks where she was hiding. With a little sweat, she plopped onto the grassy ground, landing on her cloak to prevent herself from getting hurt.

With a happy and nervous smile, she tried to reach out her hand to greet the woman, but the other didn't return it. _How rude..._ she thought, a little aggravated. However, by then the rest of the others were running in. The small, white haired midget - Genius? - ran in after his sister before stopping in front of her. Colette, the Chosen of Regeneration, decided to come after him, followed by that Lloyd teen. Finally, in the end was...Mr. Scary.

For a few moments, they made eye contact. The tall - as in _really_ tall - man stopped suddenly, leaving no skid marks, but leaving that impression. He stared straight into her eyes, boring into them like a giant hammer. They showed so much coldness with a hint of shock(?). She could swear on her mother's grave that that few nanoseconds of eye contact frightened her SOOO much more than finding out the Chosen was in danger!

"Uhh..." she stammered for a few moments before turning to face the safer-looking member of the Aurion family. (Yes! She could remember their names, slowly!) Making a quick bow, she felt even more butterflies flutter around in her stomach. "Hi! I...I am Martel! I was sent from a place you cannot dare comprehend, and I am here to tell you that the Chosen's life is in danger!" She lifted her head as her long hair whipped down, her eyes piercing into the Professor. "There is a group called the Renegades that are out to kill the Chosen! They have sent an assassin called Sheena Fujibayashi in order to do their dirty work!"

With the mention of this information, Kratos Aurion grabbed her by the wrist and then barked an order out. With a sudden nod, they all ran into a nearby building.

---

"So...Your name is 'Martel'? That's a unique name," stated Genis as he sash-swayed his hand left and right. "In fact, most people don't call themselves after the goddess for a very good reason; it's sacrilegious."

Kratos had kept a good eye on this weird woman who dubbed herself after Yuan's old lover. It almost made it seem as if she had jumped out of the portrait and into real life, breathing and walking. Almost. She was not of the right stature, and her voice was completely wrong. He tried placing that tone, but came up with nothing for now. However, it still tickled the back of his head. _Where have I heard this voice before...?_

He turned around to face his son, whose brown hair was flopping down a bit. It was still messy from the earlier fight, but he was busy examining the woman by asking her endless questions after endless questions with help of Genis and the Chosen. Kratos' own hair maintained its normal shape, allowing that one strand to fall in front of his left eye. _How does someone out of Cruxis know about the Renegades? People always mistake them for Desians, so what is going on here?_ He didn't like how things were turning out to be.

"Dad! Hey, dad!" came the cry of his child as Lloyd's gloved hands wrapped around his father's arm. "You should talk to her. She might know a lot of info." His large, brown eyes took a few blinks as Kratos nodded in silent affirmation. Yes, it was about time he asked who this 'Martel' was, and how she came to know such _things_.

"How do you know I'm in danger, Ma'am Martel?" asked the Chosen in her natural tone. "I don't understand..."

Kratos decided to wait for a few moments. Or, at least until night.

---

There were the sounds of animals sleeping that filled the night. She turned slightly, but then was pulled awake by Lloyd's hand. He saw her blink for a few moments before she realized that she was awakened by the teenager. "Martel?" Lloyd whispered. "My dad wants to talk to you downstairs." He didn't know exactly what his dad wanted, but he could take a little hint.

She yawned slightly as Lloyd skipped down the steps. That was one of the cool things here; steps and stairs. Sure, Yggdrasill had stairs in his large palace, but the normal Welgaia had elevators and magi-technology methods of climbing. That, and all one had to do was just fly higher. Not much of a hassle...

"Martel, I presume. Lloyd, how about you go to your room. You need your rest." Inwardly, Lloyd sighed. He did not! But, his dad didn't want him there. Normally, he would have gone back, but Lloyd left the door and hid nearby, being silent and stealthy in his walking style. Unless he moved from his spot, he was sure that his father couldn't hear him.

There was some silence as the two people were having a staring contest with each other. "May I ask how you managed to come here with such information? It would be wise to state who you are as well. I know you are not a woman called 'Martel'." Kratos' tone was one that said 'you had better tell me the truth'. It was that silent, direct voice that was often used for commanding others. Lloyd could tell the other woman was shaken up despite the fact that his dad wasn't physically doing anything. He wanted to come closer, but knew better than to do such a thing. His white scarf trailed among the floor behind him, collecting the smallest amount of dust falling from the ceiling.

"My name is..." she began slowly, "...is Anna. Anna, the Fortune Teller of Triet. I was captured by _Lord_ Yuan and his cronies – er, men - when they discovered my talents after claiming to protect me from the Desians." There were a lot of pauses when this strange woman was talking, like she was looking for some words. Lloyd couldn't see his father's face, but if he could, there would have been a quick pang of grief in his eyes before it could be concealed from the world.

"I was held prisoner, and they were trying to force me to tell fortunes about who was who and what was going on. I, naturally, refused, but I DID manage to see that they were using this female called Sheena Fujibayashi to assassinate the Chosen of Regeneration! I had thought that this MAN was the good guy until I discovered he wanted to kill the last chance of salvation. So, I ran away, disguised as the 'Goddess Martel'-" There was a distinct sarcasm in the words she used. It seemed almost apparent that she did not trust in the Mother. _Well, Martel exists, in a sense, but she isn't exactly a Goddess in the terms of a deity._ That was one of the things that his father had taught him. "-and I ran off to warn the Chosen of this."

Kratos seemed to 'relax' - if one could call it that - before moving his head slightly. Lloyd still couldn't see what look was on his face, but he could take a guess. Normal, calm, and just being his dad, of course! Still, to have one woman already know about the Renegades... Yggdrasill had mentioned that if anyone were to know a bit, they should be killed. However, Genis was an exception 'cause they were best friends!

"I suggest you come along," Kratos began while turning around to walk towards the door. "However," he said as he turned his head back to face the still sleepy woman, "if I find out that you are one aiming to kill the Chosen instead, I will destroy you first."

"Aye aye, Captain..." came a little mutter from the female as she gave him a slight glare before sticking her tongue out at him once Kratos' back was almost gone.

His footsteps made almost no sound, even when Kratos had entered the main dining hall of the inn. He stopped for a moment as Lloyd tried his hardest not to fidget. "Lloyd, it would be best if you do not always try to eavesdrop on conversations of others. One day, it could get you in trouble."

"Ah..." came the nervous laugh, "sorry, dad..."

---

Sheena cursed silently as she hit her foot upon a root at the last second. However, the root was the least of her problems. Corrine was getting tired, as was she, but she had to get ready for the attack once she reached the Thoda Geyser. Her Guardian Cards were resting in her hand as she looked at each of them with a deep look of seriousness.

"Sheena? What's wrong? Corrine wants to know why Sheena looks so sad." With a little jingle, the fox-like animal jumped around and landed on her lavender-clad shoulder, with his bushy tails coiled in a little circle. "Don't worry, Sheena! Corrine loves you!" With that little sentence, she had to smile.

"Come on, Corrine," she began with a little stretch after making sure her foot wasn't injured. "We have quite a ways to go. Maybe we could contact Yuan and he could help us a bit by giving us an extra Exsphere or something. If I could nearly loose to some skeleton freak, I'm sure I am going to need all the help I can get."

With his little fuzzy foot, Corrine aimed it towards the horizon. "Watch out world! Here comes Sheena and Corrine! Oh, Sheena and Corrine!"

---

_Hey everyone!  
Yes, this chapter WAS Beta-ed! -cheers- After almost all summer of being not, it is now!!!_

_Nothing much going on here except for...school and stuff. Yup. Oh, and within a month and a few weeks, it'll be my birthday! Hopefully, I will have three chapters added._

No, she's not an OC. I'll explain sometime before/a little after the Tower of Salvation. -nods-  
Then, after that, that's when this fic starts running on "loosely based game-evidence", meaning I can 'source' the ToS game, but it's nothing concrete.

_-makes Angel-Lloyd fly around-_

_REVIEW PLEASE! It makes Fehize happy! And you want a happy Fehize, right?_

_Yeah... Raine seemed psyhco there, eh?_


	36. Chapter 36

_Angels of Cruxis  
By: Fehize_

_------_

_"Daddy...? Who is Auntie Martel?"  
Silence for a few mere seconds as the world around fell towards its normal rhythm of never-ending.  
"Daddy?"  
Silence still preserved, never allowing itself to be broken by a certain man.  
"Daddy? Um, Daddy? Who is...Auntie Martel? Uncle Yuan once mentioned her but..."  
"She's no longer here, Lloyd. She's elsewhere and deserves some rest."  
"Oh."  
There was some more silence as the brown puff-ball moved closer to his father and held on tight. It was late night, and he was already beginning to get sleepy. His bright, brown eyes were glazed with sleep as they tried their hardest to stay open. Each passing second sent forth a flutter of eye movement as the calm and reassuring voice of his father filled his ear. His Daddy knew everything. His Daddy was the best. His Daddy was his hero.  
"Uncle Yuan said she died..."  
That came out suddenly and unexpectedly, like a backstab from your best friend. Except, this was different. It wasn't a backstabbing feeling, per say, but to think that the child already understood something like the concept of death...  
"Uncle Yuan said that Auntie Martel wasn't in Heaven..." Though the child's body was trying to let it rest, the voice refused to abide. "He said that she...should be. Daddy, Mommy's in Heaven, right? Is...she an angel like...you, except with...prettier wings 'cause she's a girl? But, if we are...angels...why isn't Mommy here?  
"Where's Mommy?"_

------

There were small pieces of snow beginning to fall down upon the mountain pass that separated one large continent into two parts. The northern part, where the many areas of wilderness still roamed free and far, and the southern part, where the largest and biggest city in this world existed. In between was nothing but an endless prairie of grass and tall weeds moving gently with the slightest puff of wind.

One by one, the smallest of the snowflakes began to pile on top of each other. Winter had just begun into full force, and the ground was beginning to stay frozen for longer and longer periods of time. The golden colors on everything left for a sense of what was; a sense that stated that the death of many things were upon them again. There had been mutterings that this winter was never to come at all, for there was not enough Mana to suffice for frozen precipitations. Others were pointing out that such Mana would make this winter last longer than ever thought possible. There were still the few others who believed that the winter would be different, but they would adapt and pray for the Chosen to lead them out of their hardships and woes.

Night had already settled down within the two small buildings upon the mountain top. Little orbs of light were being emitted from windows that had yet to have curtains cover their panes, but the light showed that the heat was still staying indoors. Unlike the small candles that left many flickers and large shadows upon the ground, a fireplace kept the general glow of red.

Sitting upon the dining table were the figures of six people and one Protozoan. Each were wearing their regular outfits, giving each other a toast for what was to come. Well, all except for two. One was a woman who was sitting on one edge of the table, in the darker corner, sulking silently, and the other was the purple-clad mercenary, who was just staying put next to his son. The majority of the talking was between the four people sitting in the middle; the orange robed Professor, the white gowned Chosen, the blueberry genius, and the bright-red, duel swordsman. Each one had happy, excited eyes. There was only one more seal left to go, and everything was going better than they thought it was going to! With the coming of this last elemental seal, there was the last trek towards the Tower of Salvation.

_One more seal...and then... Then, my body will become an angel to help the journey or regeneration. This is the Chosen's life. A sacrifice to save the world._

On her pale face, outlined with her long, golden hair, she carried that fake smile with that fake happy look in her eyes. Oh, yes, she was happy that the world was to be soon regenerated, but there also came much inner sadness. She could no longer sleep at night, and her taste was beginning to fade away. Another thing was the lack of feeling. She had cut herself with the knife, trying to help prepare the meal, but...nothing. It was...horrible.

Yet, once Lloyd had discovered she was injured, he ran over to help her and then patted her down, telling her not to be so clumsy. He was always doing that with that happy attitude of his. His eyes kept that look of innocence and hope that it made her feel more confident. She wanted to help people in need, and to do that, it meant sacrifice. But, many others were suffering because of her. She simply couldn't let that slide pass.

The food was coming passed yet again, being brought in by that Martel woman, who seemed like struggling with an internal conscious. Colette tried to smile at her, but the gesture remained unseen for the long, green lock prevented sight. Turning her head, she couldn't help notice that the brown-haired, son of Kratos, was smiling at her, too. It was a nice smile, one that said: 'It's ok, Colette!'

She picked up her fork as she played around with her food. No one had yet to guess that she had stopped eating, for she always found hidden ways to hide her food in her napkin. From there, it would go towards those poor, cold animals outside who were always hungry. Even the field mice were becoming thin from the lack of Mana. _Oh, Martel. Please let me be successful in my Journey. If not just for the world's sake, then for Lloyd as well. His mother had no need to suffer that way, and I think I see him still suffer whenever we pass a family with both parents._

"Here you go, Colette! Put some of this hot sauce on your food! You'll REALLY taste stuff then, for SURE!" yelled Lloyd excitedly as he handed her a big red bottle that was labeled: 'HOTNESS'. Smiling, she accepted the token, unaware of what to do with it. With a gentle squeeze, she placed a bit on a small grain of rice and then began to nibble at it. It wasn't as if she could...

"H...Hottt!" she moaned for a bit as everyone stopped for a moment to look at her. "This is so-so HOT!"

"Ah!" cried Lloyd and Genis at the same time. The elf ran off to get some milk while Lloyd gave her an apologetic look. But it didn't matter wither or not he hurt her, for she could **taste** the sauce.

_Lloyd...you are always so kind to me. Yet, I am unable to try to place my feelings. Sometimes, I feel really connected to you, but other times it seems that you see me only as a friend. Perhaps that is for the best, for becoming an angel is my destiny, and once that happens, we shall never meet again. Still...my one wish..._

_No..._she thought sadly as the two best friends were having a salad fight. (Lloyd was throwing a squash at Genis, and the small child, a tomato.) _I cannot think selfish thoughts like that. Think of the poor people of Iselia and the Iselia Ranch. If I try to get into a relation...would I choose life over...the world?_

"Chosen One, I believe it is time for all of us to get some rest. It's a long way to Palmacosta."

"Of course!" Colette responded, smiling with her eyes closed. Her hands were held up in a prayer position as she stood up out of the chair. "The Journey is almost over. And then, Sylvarant will be saved!"

---

There was ice in those empty, black eyes.

All of those eyes, in fact.

His red hair flowed gently as he took steps towards this place where that floating Pronyma chick had stated: 'lies the answer to your questions' as well as 'the possibility of you removal of Chosen status.'

Yet, she didn't say what he would be met with an endless amount of mindless dolls. Everywhere he looked, there were the most beautiful creatures he had ever seen - minus himself - yet, all were aimlessly going around, with no purpose other than listening. The strangest of all was that they had wings coming from behind their backs, like angels.

They couldn't, could they?

"Now, _Chosen_, please step inside where we can discuss the many things needed to make sure that you get what you desire, and I claim what I desire." With a small turn, her floating body took a look directly at the man who was also known as Zelos.

"_Chosen_, you do know, as I am sure of it, that when the Journey of Regeneration occurs in Sylvarant, your body will be sent off towards the four temples for 'trials' and whatnot." There was something in the way she placed her words that intrigued him most of all. It was as if she was mocking the church that was Cruxis, which was odd indeed. "I know you did what I asked and got some vague information about Rodyle, did you not?" It was technically true. When this weird woman had appeared in front of him, he had seen that old man walk around afterwards in a few days, muttering something about a 'Cannon'.

"No sweat, Sugar. I told you what I knew already. An old coot who hangs around three girls dressed in metal armor, running around and muttering something that sounded like 'Cannon'. No big deal, right?" Zelos sighed inwardly and outwardly, and continued in a sarcastic and mocking tune. "I mean, he sounded like some pervert right about then, if you ask me."

"Ah, yes, _Chosen_. You should know that definition, naturally. No matter, the fact that you got that information interested _us_ in much delight."

"You should be proud of yourself, Zelos," came a much DIFFERENT voice. Surprised, he turned around to see...

There was a man, standing right behind him, with long, blond hair. He was wearing skin-tight clothing of some type, with golden trims. Such trims all seemed to be connected towards that one jewel-like thing on the collarbone: a genuine Cruxis Crystal. But that was not what stunned the pink and white clothed adult. What shock and stunned him the most was that he was floating above the ground, decked with SERAPHIM wings made from pure Mana.

_A...Seraph? WHOAH! This girly-dude is an ANGEL?_

His large, pink wings fluttered as the angel-man floated near Zelos before tilting his head a bit towards his side. "Proynma, this is the Zelos Wilder, I presume. The one who wishes to no longer be a Chosen, right?"

Zelos was the man that was ready for almost anything and could speak back at any moment. Yet, for once, his train-of-thought was frozen. It was something between awe, shock, wonder, amazement, confusion, and disbelief. THIS person, RIGHT in front of him, looked _**exactly**_ like the Hero, Mithos, in the ancient texts!

"My name is Yggdrasill, and learn it well, Zelos. From here on out, you listen to what Proynma and I have to say. Any disobedience, and..." It was as if that Seraph had just placed an icicle down his heart when he smiled that smile. It was not a friendship smile, or a caring one; it was a cold smile. A sinister one if Zelos ever saw that anywhere.

"'Course I'll listen," laughed Zelos, however, as he twirled his little dagger with his hands. "Seles can become the Chosen afterwards, and I'm free to go, right? Hey, if I gotta sell my body and mind to do it for a few months, by all means. Sure as hell beats death!"

The man, Yggdrasill, floated higher while turning his head around to look at Proynma. "Give the 'Crystal' to Rodyle, as 'promised', and make sure to kill him." Then, with a bright burst of light, the Seraph left with hoards of floating feathers. _Is it just me, or does Cruxis no longer seem all Cruxis-y?_

Apparently, that was the only reason as to why the lax-looking fighter was to come to the 'base of the angels', for the floating woman warped Zelos back towards his room, before vanishing as well. He rested his body down upon the silk and satin bed, admiring the framework of leaves carved deeply into it, before turning onto his side. Digging with his hands, he pulled out a small mechanism from underneath the many pillows that dotted the top. Clicking a small button, there was some static noises until one voice came through loud and clear.

"Well, what is it that you report, Zelos?"

He sighed; with his light, egg-white headband holding back the rest of his hair from moving down, before addressing back. "Looks like you were right, eh, Yuan? Yggdrasill IS the leader of Cruxis, and the Cannon is most definitely housed near Rodyle's place. If it wasn't, why are they trying to kill him?" Zelos couldn't believe it, at first. Yuan had stated that the leader was making his family suffer was a man called Yggdrasil. This man, the leader of Cruxis, was 'someone important', but to think that he COULD be the ancient hero..._Wait. He'll have to be an old geezer, or something. Cousin? Whatever..._

"Good work. Unfortunately, the same good news can't be said on this side. Sheena has failed her mission once because of many complications that have arrived from the Aurions. If only we had some other weakness that we could exploit that was not a damn angel. If only I had...

"Zelos! Are you still there?!?"

"Yeah, duh," came the sarcastic reply. Why the hell was he working for the Renegades again? Oh yeah, 'cause the underdogs always win'; something like that.

"I need you to go to Altessa - a dwarf who lives just outside of Ozette - and ask him this…"

Zelos WAS lying down, but then propped up to his side at the mention of certain words that the leader of the Renegades was saying. Such words were preposterous, yet...if one thought about it. However, it was also sickening that such objects were made that way to begin with.

"Do that, Zelos, and I'll make certain that there would BE no more Cruxis within three or two months."

---

It was dark blue.

_Navy_ blue, like the color of the night before fading into darkness. Like the color of the sky when clouds were near.

Lloyd was sitting on the white-covered roof, with his gloves off, staring right at the navy blue gem that resided on his upper palm. It was dull, for now, but when he was fighting, he was sure it glowed every once in a while. It was only a shade lighter blue yesterday or so, but now...NOW it was darker.

Placing his glove back on to hide it from the rest of the world, like normal, his brown hair wafted in the breeze as he turned to see the stars hanging high in the sky. It had bugged him throughout his life. One moment, it was a lavender color - a color between the blood and the sky - and the next, a soft aquamarine. That was when he had gained his wings. Aquamarine to soft blue: the loss of taste. Soft blue to sky blue: the loss of feeling. Sky blue to light blue: the loss of breathing. Light blue to blue: the halt of metabolism. His father's, however, remained red all the time, no matter what. The Chosen's Cruxis Crystals remained red, too, and they followed the same, if more painful, process.

What made his special?

What made it different?

He sighed, thinking hard about it. He was positive it was a Cruxis Crystal of SOME form, for it made him into a Seraph! But, it wasn't the textbook thing! Mithos' was red, his dad's was red, Yuan's was red, Colette's was red, and that Zelos guy's was red too! "Why in the world are you blue?" he asked randomly to the world, not expecting an answer.

What _made_ his special? _What?_

This question, which he usually dismissed after ten minutes or so, stayed with him until the end of the night.

------

_OK! Here is one thing: Zelos says he recgonizes Yggd. from the ancient texts. I'm going by the OVA status here and saying that the ancient texts had pictures of geneticaly enhanced Mithos. -nods- Nothing major, anyways. Just some clarification.  
Also, I am unsure of what color Kratos' exsphere is. In some art, it's red, but in the others, it has a blue-ish tint. (I've seen more red, however.) So, I took the freedom of going red. Yay red. XD_

_I'm just saying even small reviews would be really nice. I have to juggle this with college and life and video games, so PLEASE. It takes HOURS to make one chapter, but it takes only one MINUTE of your time to make those hours worth it in my opinion!  
And MUCCCCH thanks to those five reviewers of the last one! -bow bow bow- -gives chibi plushies-_

_**End 'Rant'**_

_Yup! I made this chapter have something of EVERYTHING! It has some fluffy (if a bit emo-like XDDD) scenes, Zelos (for those Zelos fans out there), Yuan (ditto), Colette (thinking about stuff), and, more importantly, LLOYD!  
Ok, so it DIDN'T have a fight scene, but the past chapters had at least ONE a chapter, so I'm taking a break off of that.  
Yeah, and I think I messed up on how Colette acted. Bleh. I'm not good at writing her because I am not the type that thinks along the lines that she does...If you guys think I did good/decently, give a hollar!_

_COMMENT FOR FEHIZE MONSTAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!  
And for a possible Kranna past-chapter? -puppy-eyed look-  
Or a Kharlan War one, but that doesn't really fit. (If it's this one, it'll be labeled FILLER 'cause it'll have almost nothing to do with the storyline. -nods-)_

_P.S.  
Did you know...?  
That each chapter averages seven Microsoft Word pages long on single-spaced, Times New Roman, size 12 font?  
In total, Angels of Cruxis is now approximately...  
252 LETTER sized pages long  
and  
504 pages long if it was in a traditional paper-back style?  
O.o Sure did shock me!_

_Much kudos to all those other stories that beat mine in length! Let our fingers go to finger hospital, TOGETHER!_


	37. Chapter 37

_Angels of Cruxis  
by: Fehize_

_The Kharlan War_

------

A soft wind moaned across the grey and blue rocks that were made of the hardest materials around in the natural world; granite. These rocks stood, tall, majestic, and poised, all ready for the stretch to reach onto the heaves.

With a slight moan from elsewhere, the red ribbon of life splattered down upon the grey surface. It slowly moved in a downward angle, softly going with the fine grooves of the stone. The granite was black to begin with, sharp and rugged, as the red dye slithered. Something large and heavy was flung against these spires of darkness, splattering more of the ribbon like rain from the Heavens. With a soft thud, the body began to limp slowly towards the ground...

A silver object tore out of the inner gut of the body, flashing red before being pulled away towards the side. The sun slowly began to rise as the blade was placed within it's brown scabbard, making no audible noise. Up on the mountain peak resided a shadow that was beginning to form, moving to adjust itself with the oncoming light. The wind was still continuing its call across the granite ridge, moving a tuft of hair as red as the blood spilled upon the rocks. "He's dead," came the soft and cold reply of someone who was wise beyond their years.

Silence erupted as the soft wail of people around aroused. A group of armored men came climbing closer towards the red headed figure, holding up their pointed spear, swords, and axes. All of them stared with eyes that said they wanted to inflict more pain than morally acceptable to even the bloodiest groups. One of them growled before raising his sword. "You MONSTER! That was a direct attack against the great country of Tethe'alla! You shall pay for that-"

Within a flash, the streak of silver raced across the chest of the one who addressed slumped to the ground to 'face his fate' as well. "Monster?" began the steel voice once more as the man aimed his sword tip towards the rest of the group. "You are the monsters. Killing all of those innocent villagers and bystanders for not giving you food and supplies is the sure sign of it." With a slight gesture, he moved his body in a better position to protect himself from the possibility of archers. This man knew he could be a great target as he was not in a very suitable position to protect himself from aerial attacks. "And then, there are those half-elves. You torture them because they are _different_: a difference that you are afraid of. It's sickening."

A more decorated solider aimed his spear down as well, yet stayed well close to the pack of glistening soldiers. "Kratos Aurion! You are hereby placed under arrest by the Tethe'allian Royal Guards for numerous accounts ranging from helping half-elves to plotting against the Throne! Any decisions to go against us will result in your death! We are already warning you for the death of two lesser sol-"

With a swift and fluid motion, the man called Kratos jumped off the ground and landed on top of one of the granite stones. His eyes were set in a set and emotionless mask, but his scabbard rested towards the side; empty. In his right hand rested that same sword he had already killed countless people with. "H-How did he get there so fast!" cried one person as the purple clad man stood his ground.

"You fool! He probably has one of those Exscuphare-things that just came out of that OTHER country! I heard that they are a new thing that enhances abilities, so watch him with caution!"

Kratos watched as they came closer. In the background, a green and white bird settled down on the top of the mountain peak, looking down at what was to be a hard fight. It was the red headed man against a squad of twenty-five, all fully armored and of all ranks. Then, one man began to run forewords, charging with his spear in front to have a protective bubble from the front side. Other men followed in suite, yelling from within their guts.

With a blur, the red headed man sliced through the first line through the side to avoid getting stabbed by the charging assault. In heartless killing, he swung his sword until seven of the twenty-five were dead, resting in the puddle of blood that was still oozing out. A gasp rose from the background when that happened, for it had been so quick, only the leading general could see such movement. That is, if seeing meant only black fuzz...

The others slowly gathered around him. With his eye glancing at each one, he suddenly brought down his sword before bluntly saying, "Fierce Demon Fang." With a sudden turn, he kicked one of the soldiers in the face, crushing the cheap metal guard into the man's eyeballs. The solider fell down, unable to have a chance.

"USE THE MANA WEAPONS! DON'T LET HIM TOUCH THE PRISIONERS!" cried out the leader, who was standing in the back doing nothing but barking orders as his underlings did the job for him. The armored ones grabbed out three strange looking machines: so large that it took four men to fold them and two to aim them. That meant that everyone was being preoccupied.

In a blood bath, they were taken down one by one, each one dying from shock that this MAN, this wanted man, could do such a thing! Even the leader succumbed towards the now-red sword, gurgling as the purple-clad man walked away towards the back as if this was something he experienced everyday.

Silence resumed once more as the green and white bird flew down towards the shoulder of the man called Kratos. With a gentle movement, he rubbed the feathers of the protozoa. "Thank you, Noishe. If you haven't told me they were coming in advance, it might not have been that easy. Now, let us find them." Continuing is way down, he finally reached the area where the prisoners were being held.

Inside a cage on wheels were three figures. On the ground was the slumped and unconscious, yet alive, form of a man with blue hair and a tattered cloak. Squatting down next to him was a pretty girl - by normal standards - with long green, flowing hair. Finally, there was the small figure of a blonde haired boy. The two that were conscious were stunned at the fact that the soldiers were defeated, even more that Kratos was walking towards them.

"Y-You saved us! But, but you are a HUMAN!" cried out the blonde as Kratos swung his sword to unlock the gate that held them in. "You left us three days ago, like every other Hu-"

"Mithos, had I truly left you, I would have not come back," the man said as he placed away his sword. The green haired woman blinked a few times before trying to drag the blue haired one out. "When I went to get supplies in the city, as you could not do it as they allowed no half-elves, I found myself detained by Tethe'alla troops who have heard about me from my previous actions. It took such days to loose them before I found out you were captured."

"T-There...there were fifty of them..." came the soft mutter in the background.

"Yuan... You should let yourself rest. You have used far too much Mana and-"

The blue haired man smirked slightly before slowly rising up, putting on a look that said he was better than he looked. "And let Kratos think we did nothing? Of course not! There were fifty, but we managed to kill half before they captured us!"

"Judging from your rise of skin on your head, I think they took you out first," was the simple reply as Kratos took out some Gels from his storage bags.

"Why? Why did you help us?" came the cry from Mithos. It was apparent he was stunned that a Human would help a species whom most Humans and Elves scorned. "It makes no sense!"

"Because, I believe in your efforts to stop this war," the man said silently as the gaze of three people turned to his face. With a slight gesture, he rose up and turned around to face the path that led towards the bottom of the mountains. "This war is pointless. The reason as to why they could not hit me with their Mana weapons in time was because Mana is depleting around the world for an unknown reason as of now. This is a war brought upon by the needs of men to gain more territory and land, destroying anything in their paths. If you wish to stop this war, allow me to help in ways that I can."

Silence reigned for a while as Mithos nodded. "Fine! Welcome to our group! Welcome to Group Cruxis, Kratos Aurion!" The small blonde boy was smiling, much to the sigh of the green haired woman. "Maybe there are Humans like you out there..."

"'Group...Cruxis'?" pondered the red head man.

Yuan laughed slightly. "Yeah. Mithos thought it would be cool if we named ourselves something that could be recognized throughout the world."

"Like superheroes!" the child cried out as everyone - including the man - sighed.

---

So much has changed in a span of two years...

Kratos glanced down towards his new outfit. It was white, as white as the snow, riddled with many belts that clasped among themselves. Blue and the softest of kingfisher blue filled in other areas. Trailing his back were two strips of the same fabric, embedded with rare jewels or the deepest crimson. This was the outfit of Team Cruxis; the team who was about to get ready to fight in one of the largest battles ever recorded.

As a five man group - the Flamberge Wielder Kratos, the Bringer of Goodness Martel, the Caster of Indignation Yuan, the Idealist Summoner Mithos, and the Human Library of Information Ebyssion - was no longer part of either country. They were not for Sylvarant nor Tethe'alla; not for Heimindale or the lost civilization of Berulucraft. At the beginning, they wanted a peaceful solution out, but now that was not the case. An action had to be done in order to stop this war from ruining the last chance of the world. Ebyssion had researched that the Tree may be already dead, but if the war continues beyond its point of death, the Seed will crumble as well, fading the world into darkness.

They were now Cruxis, the five-man army that will fight against the others using their powers to show that the war must end! Four of them wore stones that had their group's name: a Cruxis Crystal. Such was done to enhance their abilities and further them in battle. Ebyssion had refused one, stating that he had a headache from studying too much in his lifespan. Why would he want to extend it to make it grow only worse?

Ahead of them was the field of men, waiting to attack them. The two largest armies were already ducking it out amongst themselves, yet the rumors that the band called Cruxis was going to fight them both had interested them enough to send minor soilders against them.

Kratos held his red sword, the Flamberge, towards his side as he placed himself in a stance that would react to anything. Martel had her staff ready to bring up background support, as well as attempt to cast her own light magic in case anything went that far. Mithos stood still, both hands ready to cast magic and summon if need to be. The small blonde was also the owner of a strange weapon called the Eternal Sword, of which Cruxis vowed to never use unless, for who knew what its powers could do. Yuan had his twin tipped scythe-like weapon in his hand, leaving the other one ready to summon forth lightning at any moments notice. In the end was Ebyssion with his own hands on an axe that was as dark as midnight itself, all topped off with one red gem in the handle.

Mithos called out towards the armies, raising his little voice over the crowd of them as they tried to itch their ways closer to each other. "We are Cruxis, here to stop the war by force if we have to! We do this to save the world! If you don't stop this war right now, we will go against you!"

One of the soldiers aimed a crossbow right at the young leader's head, scowling. "Cruxis? It's just a group of you five! Don't let yourself get delusional, kid! CHARGE! For the glory that is Tethe'alla!" With a pull of the string, the arrow ripped out and was aimed right at the face of Mithos. It was about to hit the eyeball when the small child did something that most people could call 'impossible'. His small fingers wrapped around the stem of the arrow before tossing it away towards the side.

It was then that Cruxis showed its true strength, showing pity on those who were forced to fight. The small group, backed by the power of hidden objects, unleashed their might and polished off the knights one by one. It was apparent to the group that Martel did not want to hurt anyone, but she knew it had to be done, 'less the Seed be destroyed if either side attempted to use the Mana Weapons again.

Hours passed, but the battle was slowly being won by the group. Kratos and Yuan stood by the forefront as Martel healed anything from scrapes to gashes. Mithos was casting only his magic at first while Ebyssion was gathering information about where the army troops were. After a few crucial seconds, both armies had discovered that Cruxis was now about to attack the Lutieniants and Generals; the very few that remained.

Yuan skidded to a halt, knowing that going on the way they have been doing will only reside in their deaths. "Guys, I think it's time we use our Cruxis Crystals to their full potential. Even though there are many consequences with that, it is the only way! Look at the Tree!"

Kratos turned his head slowly, keeping his senses on alert in case the last seven hundred or so men attacked them. Right behind them, in the distance, was the Great Khlaran Tree. And it was brown, with the bark etched in black. The once green leaves falling softly. At the base was the Seed, glowing pale but loosing its power. The Humans in the war had yet to discover the adverse effects of what they were doing. They believed that the Mana used to power their weapons would end the war faster. It was a false thought.

To the remaining battlers, they saw something that they couldn't believe. A twinkle of light enveloped four of the members of Cruxis, and then suddenly, there were wings. WINGS, fine and transparent, came out of their backs, glittering with pure Mana. "Wh-What ARE they!?" screamed on man.

"I'm sorry everyone, but this is to save the Seed and the World..." came a soft mutter from Martel. The thought of hurting others was harsh, but she knew if she didn't do something like this, the Seed will... "Holy Lance!" she cried out, aiming for the cluster of soldiers that stood together.

"Sacred powers, cast your purifying light upon these corrupt souls. Rest in peace sinners! Judgment!" came the cry from the red head as the sky turned dark and pure energy busted from the ground in tiers.

"Indignation JUDGMENT!" came the call from Yuan as his blue hair rose slightly. A loud clash was heard right before a sword fell down and stabbed through more men.

"Mithos, NOW!" came a call.

"I call upon thee...Efreet, Celsius, Luna, Udine, Sylph, Shadow, Nome; Volt!!! Scatter your powers among the enemies!"

Explosions filled the air...

---

Martel looked up at the Tree, which was already being eroded away by the winds. The Seed, however, was still there. But, it needed a large Mana push to germinate. By itself, it could support only half of the world, meaning that larger life forms would run out of Mana within years. The Seed must be germinated!

She turned around to face her companions. Everyone was feeling just as tired as she was, for she had been trying to heal the hurt and injured. Kratos was panting, his sword down on the floor. Yuan had his body plopped down upon a rock, even if it might have been uncomfortable. Mithos, her little brother, was almost falling asleep. Ebyssion was staring at his axe; his hair blocking his eyes from being seen.

The attacks that they did were not meant to kill the soldiers, but injure to a point of no more resistance, yet that still panged her chest that they had to resort to that. Neither side would listen, however, and as Kratos had pointed out: 'There may be those who wish to hear the truth, but it is too late.' Too late... Her green bangs moved slightly as she turned to see the Seed. Had the war continued without Cruxis' intervention...the Seed would have surely died. It was a miracle in itself that the Tree created it's 'offspring'.

That was when she felt a sharp pain in her gut. Stunned, she felt as if the world was turning sluggish. There was...Ebyssion? He was crying, but...She...He had plunged his sword into her!

Pain exploded as she felt herself fall down. In the background, the movement of the three best friends could be heard. "T-The axe told me to do it! She is a HALF-ELF, a DEMON!!! It said so! The axe-" cried out the Human man as Kratos, Mithos, and Yuan stared at him in disbelief. Martel felt like she was slowly slipping... _No...This...Yuan! Mithos...!_

"HOW COULD YOU?!" cried out the small, grieving blond child as he grabbed the Eternal Sword - a present for hope and peace - and trusted it right into the heart of Ebyssion.

"T..The axe...said...so..." he muttered softly as he fell down in a heap. Already Yuan and Kratos were by Martel's side, but she was fading away...

The green haired woman gasped slightly as she felt her time was almost up. Her last words were for something she envisioned, but a grief-stricken, tattered remains of a group, could not understand...

------

_Hey everyone! I KNOW where the plot of Angels of Cruxis is, but I tweaked one minor detail to make things more evil. Muwahaha.  
Of course, please realize as THIS CHAPTER HAS BASICALLY NO INFO TO BASE ON! Which means from here on out, AoC in based on loose/almost no info of the game. 'Cause it's a fanfic. Of a time. That never happened. -laughs-_

_Heartless killing machine Kratos was SOOO fun to friggen write! -evil laughter everywhere- C'mon everyone! You KNOW you loved that part as well! (Though the ending was sad. But it had to happen! -shifty eyes-)_

_Oi! Sorry for the late update and stuff everyone! (And sorry Beta. I wanted to keep this 'filler' chapter from you as well. -winks- ) I'm just getting ready for my birthday._

_Which is Sunday, the 21st. -cough- Ahem. -cough-wishmehappyb-day-cough-_

_**UBER SUPER ZOMG SPAZZ ATTACK INFO BELOW!**_

_Go to my profile. Yes. Do it.  
Why?You wanna see the AoC doujinshi, yes?  
-smiles-  
This is what I have been working on for so long, hence the gap of missing chapters...!  
You know you WUV me! -nods-_


	38. Chapter 38

_Angels of Cruxis  
by: Fehize _

--- 

Outside, there were whirls of snow, but it was a sign of something ending, not something beginning. The small fire roaring near the entrance of the fireplace allowed the heat to be spread amongst the sleeping forms of the group. In one corner were the figures of the two half-elves. Their history was something of much sadness, as well as pain. Banished from the city where it was believed they were nothing but trouble; that they were something beneath the others. The lives of these two depended on this journey. Otherwise, what if others discovered their secret?

The dust was also settling down on the sleeping figure of a certain white and green animal. The Protozoan was wrapped up around the figure of a certain brown-haired teen, who was acting like he was asleep as well. He was doing a rather good job of it as well, allowing for the small trace of drool to fall down his face with an occasional foot twitch. Or it could have just been that the Seraph was really sleeping, once again.

Plopped on the farthest edges was the Chosen One herself, looking away from the fire to face a blank wall. Her inner feelings were not exposed to the world, except for the mask of happiness she placed there for others. He blue eyes were open and vast, staring at the grains of the wood. She could see each one perfectly, yet this also brought to her a hidden sadness; but she knew she had to be strong. She had to. The world depended on her. Though her smiles were certainly to help others, sometimes she needed them back.

Sitting in an area far away from others was the stranger whom they had picked up earlier from the fakes. Her long, green hair and her outfit were still the same ones they were earlier in the day, and she had not said much aside from her introductory meetings. Well, at least, most of the group believed she said nothing aside from her warnings about the ones called 'Renegades'. Already, a short series of talks had gone on between her and the Aurion man. Who was she, and what was her purpose? Where did she really come from? A lone fortune-teller from Triet? It was true that her face was that of that area, but the pass of which they were in was far away. To allow oneself to travel to this area and catch up, she would have to have been traveling only days after they left.

Lastly, standing near the entrance was the wooden door was the figure of the other holy being. His red hair looked almost black there, hiding among the shadows. His gloved hand was where it always was; resting atop the hilt of his sharp, metal sword, which was ready to be drawn at any approaching/impending attack. This man's name was Kratos Aurion, a hero in an ancient war, long since passed away into the memories of the people of the two worlds. He was a hero, but hero no-longer, for he had fallen from grace - as one might put it. This man had helped set up a series of events that had left many innocents to die for a crazy man's - no, child's - ambition to save an elder sister.

_Cruxis...it is true that what we are doing is to save the world, but... Have you already forgotten the drive that made you leave them to begin with? Have you forgotten the reason as to why you abandoned Cruxis to begin with? Did you let yourself become disillusioned with the sayings of your dead wife? Could you have mistaken those last, crucial words in the same sense that Mithos mistook those last words of his sister? Think about it, Kratos... The world is not as simple as white and black. If that was true, there would have been no trouble with the Ancient Tree to begin with. There was, and always will be, those intense shades of grey. Grey so dark that it can turn almost black before gleaming in the light to become the purest white._

Those thoughts...He could no longer turn his mind away from those invading sentences. With each passing day, and each passing hour, he was thinking more and more irrationally. _Or should you mean, 'rationally', Kratos? You stopped the war to prevent any more innocents from being hurt, as well as prevent any more unnecessary killing. Yet, you went ahead and stopped your plans at the fall of your beloved..._ With a small sigh, he turned his head around to face towards the window. The pure, white flakes were coming down. No longer did they have their fury or intensity as earlier.

A man's saddened, red eyes watched. Angels do not cry.

---

"Father… I have brought you your medicine. Please allow me to administer it to you."

With soft sounds, the pattering of a lost soul could be heard across the empty, decaying room. Cobwebs and dust had long since covered everything with an inch of grey. This heavy, dead weight turned the whole building into a sense of decay. Holes were within the wall, allowing a view of the outside. However, it seemed as if a strange presence prevented even the most reproductive of all plants from residing indoors. The oaken woods, that had created these cabins, also looked as if they, too, were dead. The only spot of color was the child: the child with the flaming pink hair.

Her eyes were blank, a glassy grey-blue set in place. On her neck was the result of hours of research from the nation's hardest working, yet most secret, scientists. Hard work, however, did not mean noble work. What was placed on her neck sapped away the life of a child, turning her into nothing more than a tool to be used. Now, this child was stuck in the endless monotone pattern of listening to orders. She had no will to realize that she was supposed to be a woman.

Rodyle knew exactly what he wanted to do with such a little 'girl'. He had found out earlier that his Mana Cannon would ONLY work with something out of high energy concentrate. A _normal_ Cruxis Crystal would never work! Or, at least, it would not work as great as his wondrous Cannon could at its highest potential. A normal Cruxis Crystal - the ones used by the lesser angels of Derris-Kharlan - left nothing but a mere shadow of possible, extractable power. To enhance this weapon with normal Exspeheres was OUT OF THE QUESTION! Even though he loved to see those puny Humans get hurt and tortured, and whatnot, there were not enough pathetic, **inferior** beings to power what one petty, lower-angel Cruxis Crystal could do.

After much experimenting, he had come to the conclusion that a higher level Crystal could be powerful enough for his wonderful Cannon. At least, powerful enough to topple that foolish thing of a tower if striking the right spot. Once that was done, HE could claim himself as the new leader of Cruxis! _Yes, and then I will finally show Yggdrasill my true power, as well as Pronyma!_ Unfortunately, it seemed that even that foolish 'leader' of those so-called 'angels' managed to delay his plans by a slight bit. He kept strict control over what types of Crystals were handed out, and it seemed to be that there was no upper-level Cruxis Crystals around anymore for the taking. Rodyle was no fool. He knew he could not simply waltz up towards the body of Yggdrasill, OR the Seraphim, and take the Crystal away from wherever they were wearing it. That would bring upon him a death that was reserved only for pathetic, inferior beings; though the Leader of the Desians deserved to see the true might of he himself, that blond man was still someone who deserved more respect than those water-bags.

"Ah, Presea. Come here!" he ordered her.

The small 'child' blinked towards the rotting pile of meat before placing a towel upon the skull.

"Father, this will help you lower your fever. Lord Rodyle is here to help me some more. I will see you later," she said with her short and monotone voice. It was just the inner mind of the 'Lord' Rodyle that prevented him from jumping up and down with glee. _She's already so far advanced in the Project! I am ever so grateful that Kvar was idiotic to leave those plans as unprotected as they were all those years ago!_

"I am here, Lord Rodyle. How may I be of service to you?" her face kept that same, blank stare ahead as she spoke. Giving forth a small smirk, he turned his head to get a better view of the red gem resting in her collarbone. Normally, one would never dream of giving a Key Crest to someone that was ready to produce Exspeheres, yet here was the small 'girl' wearing one.

Only, she was not growing an Exsphere.

"Ahaha...Yes...Great JOB, Presea. It seems to be that this Angelus Project is doing even better than I thought it would. Who would have thought manipulating the Pope like so would give me my greatest desire?" With a glint in his eyes, he took a note at the red gem. His future.

The Angelus Project, unfinished as it was by the fool, Kvar, truly was a sign of SOME sort of minute genius the torturer had inside his brain before he passed away by Kratos' hand. After all, Kvar was a THIEF! Rodyle had believed that the black-eyed man was only planning to make this project a present to Yggdrasill, but Kratos' slaughter of the man had shown that that DAMNED man was taking HIS Cannon idea from behind his back! The nerve! It was fortunate that no one could discover that using the Mana Cannon was his idea to begin with. He would destory that Yggdrasill with the very weapon of the ancient times, under his supervision, of course.

Naturally, this old, sinister man did not know that the Seraphim Kratos lied. He didn't know that the redheaded angel twisted the truth to save his child and destroy the man that dared to lay a finger upon his family. No one knew the truth, except for the man called Kratos Aurion.

This red, shinning gem was to be the most powerful Cruxis Crystal ever to be made! Was to be; the main words. It was still in its minute, infant stages, sapping the soul out of the wearer. What had angered Rodyle at the beginning was the SLOWNESS of the Project! However, after some random chance, he had discovered that Presea's caring over her corpse of a father had advanced the Crystal to a point where it was beginning to improve! It seemed emotions were the most powerful food for the parasite. Sure, future-most-powerful-Cruxis Crystal or not, it was still related to the Exsphere.

_Heh, the foolish Kvar. Sure, he may have started the project, but __**I**__ know how to finish it and make it great._ Kvar had taken the host, A0-something, and attached the Angelus Project directly onto the skin. Though starting, it was bound to have given that man troubles. Rodyle had dug a bit on his OWN, finding out that attaching the Angelus Project to a host with a Key Crest was the best was to make it grow. Why?

1) Applying it directly onto the skin made it into a weak Cruxis Crystal if it even MANAGED to get out of the Exsphere mode. There was not enough Mana control in the host to make the gem turn into its next phase. 2) Too many compatible hosts were killed if it was applied to the skin. That failure of a woman, Alicia, proved that to him. Rodyle had applied the Project onto her skin, yet she was an utter FAILURE. She did not provide him with the perfect Crystal. Finally, 3) the Key Crest enabled the gem to - in a sense - merge with the very conscious of the host. Most Exspheres did this as well, yet only Cruxis Crystals could entrap a soul into the very core of the smooth surface. Exspheres left faint, shadow 'souls' - pitiful wastes. Cruxis Crystals trapped the very being. It made Rodyle snigger with glee as the thought of Presea's soul entrapped in the gem that would be able to fire his WONDERFUL Cannon! After all, why steal one from the Seraphim when he could make an Angelus Product, which was _better_?

What better way to destroy that accursed Tower of Salvation!? However, one had to make sure that it was a regular Key Crest, and not one of those Rune Crest things. Or whatever. A Rune Crest could limit the parasitism. He was glad that the pope was power-hungry and wouldn't DREAM of telling those scientists to reverse the effects on Presea - as she was still at a point where his precious Project could be stopped...But to get his hands on that Crystal to work his Cannon...

_Naturally, though, I would like to have my own Cruxis Crystal... I wonder if I can fool that waste of a woman, Pronyma?_

"Well done, Presea!" he began to praise his wonderful host again. "Now, run off to tend to your precious father. I am sure I just heard him ask for more water..." With a flick of his hand, he pointed off towards the door.

"Father, I am coming with more water."

The door slammed shut a few seconds later as the foolish 'girl' went on ahead to care for her 'sick' father. His men rallied around him to get ready to ride the dragons, the beautiful creaturess were all set to go when his right hand man turned to face him.

"Sir! We have reports that the Renegades are on the move in this area from our spies. Should we stay here for a while and make sure they do not pick up the girl?"

With a white gloved hand, he thought for a few moments. "Renegades...I can't wait until I destroy them as well. Nevertheless, I will go back to my Base before anyone realizes that I have been missing. You, Znaril, can stay here. I trust you to protect the Project."

His man nodded before asking a simple question, "What if they enter the area?"

"Well, than you just say you are her father. Hide your Desian gear and act. Now, I must be off..."

---

There were sounds in the bushes. Rodyle had already left, leaving behind the man who called only dubbed as 'Znaril'. After a few moments, he took off his helmet, revealing dark brown hair and slightly pointed ears. "What a job hassle..." he muttered.

A sudden noise in the background appeared as two - no, three - figures waltzed in from the shadows. They were hiding there all along, waiting for the proper signal. The man called 'Znaril' brought forth his weapon before plowing it down into the ground.

"Lord Yuan! I have managed to secure the area, and I made sure that I was the one chosen to stay behind with the girl! Rodyle to be expected back for another three days." The man looked up towards the figures of his heros: Lord Yuan and Botta. But who was this last figure? Wasn't that the Chosen…?

---

Night had arrived. The brown, blue, and red haired figures were all huddled around a small fire, discussing future plans. After all, they were about to get ready to destroy the entire structure of the world within a few months.

"So, here we are. I thought you wanted me to do this on my own, you old hag?"

"Quiet, Zelos," ordered Yuan as the fire danced in front of their eyes. "Now, back to what we were talking about...

"According to our spies, it seems that almost everything has fallen directly into place. It seems that Presea's body is almost getting ready to enter stage two of the Angelus Project. Once it is complete, we will be able to make sure that Rodyle takes the gem. Right before he finishes entering the password to the Cannon Firing Mechanism, you are needed to kill him, Botta. Three-fourths of the Underwater Base - aka Palmacosta Base, Zelos - is already under Renegade control, though he knows nothing, yet. We are all set towards taking over that Cannon ourselves. That is Phase One.

"Phase Two, Zelos, is where you come in. As you know, Cruxis is very powerful, but they would never suspect of a Chosen working for the Renegades. Especially since a Chosen such as yourself seems very vain and eager to place his own sister ahead to death, first. You are to sneak inside and try to do accomplish two things. One," the blue haired Seraphim began, holding up a finger, "you are needed to enter inside and spy on what Yggdrasill is doing. Try to see how close that Chosen of the other world is to the Mana signature of the Great Seed." The red-haired man in front had no idea that the Seed was the container of Martel, his sweet, dead, love... "Two: I need you to see if you can 'befriend' the one called Lloyd Aurion.

"Should Sheena fail, which might be highly possible, we will be very busy with our main concerns than to capture the Chosen at that point. She has already released three seals, and I cannot enter ahead to kill her for those _Aurions_ are there. Despite our best efforts to stop them, we must plan in advance as if we were to fail! Zelos, since your sister is to go on ahead as Chosen, and should the Chosen of Sylvarant be 'successful', you must befriend the young son of Kratos...

"And betray him later. If you managed to get him as a friend, I am going to need you to capture him and bring him to me. I will deal with the rest.

"Lastly," Yuan began with a large sigh, "Botta. I need you to continue carrying about my orders, as usual. We need to distract Cruxis from our real plans, so find a way to attack the Palmacosta ranch later on. We have heard reports that the Chosen is heading down towards the Water Seal from Sheena Fujibayashi, so if you see them, attack, but don't get killed."

The taller man called Botta nodded before turning around to face Yuan himself. "Sir, what are you planning on doing?"

"Easy," came the fast reply as he stood up. His black and gold-trimmed cape billowed around him as the wind gave forth a clear night sky. "I am going to meet the dwarf called Altessa. He should know more about how we can use the Mana Cannon and how we could make it stronger. More importantly than that, there is a robotic doll there that I wish to see."

"Robotic doll, eh? Is it a GIRL figure? A certain WOMAN figure?" asked the redheaded Chosen as he tried to get nearer to understanding. The reasoning as to why this man decided to help the Renegades were unclear to almost everyone. That man, though happy behind a mask, was angered and filled with rage over the death of his mother, and his mother's last words. She wished he was never born, for because of his birth as a Chosen, his mother and father were forced to marry by Church law. Since Cruxis was an organization that brought nothing but grief to him, perhaps this was the basis of his betrayl?

"It's important, and none of you should be concerned with it as you have your own missions to accomplish. This new data I have discovered made this a higher priority than my past missions of chasing Lloyd Aurion personally, yet I will resume that soon after I accomplish this goal. Now that everyone understands, I guess it is time to leave."

With sudden swiftness and silence, the fire went out and the three figures were gone...

---

_-smiles- Hey everyoneeeeee! How's it going!?  
Good? Yes? That's GREAT!  
How was THAT for foreshadowing plus plotty goodness, EH!?_

_YES, I am LATE. Now, I could say some story like 'Oh, I got sick' or 'Ah, I've been lazy.' BUT, I am going to be truthful here! -nods- What really has been delaying me these past few weeks was that I have been busy drawing. Yup. My love for ze arts have exploded even more. -nervous sweat-  
Unfortunately for you readers, no new updates to the AoC doujinshi, YET. Why? I am guilty of loving my OCs too much.  
HEY! Just 'cause they are never placed into writing in my fanfictions doesn't mean that I let them hang around and rot away! -big shock face-  
So, yeah. Blame the tardiness on my OCs that were screaming to be drawn away. -sweats- However, if it makes you feel better, I have only one more picture left before I work back on AoC doujinshi. -cheers- Alright! Yeah!_

_-hears the crickets and the knuckles of angry readers-  
-tries to throw in a distraction-_

_The Kranna will come out some time soon with more real chapters added even faster! -nods-_

_Comment pretty please! -nods- Do it for the chibi plushies! Do it for angel-Lloyd!!!  
...Do it for more Zelos and Yuan? -sweats-  
ANGEL-LLOYD! -chases-_

_-munches on awesome Pocky- -happy heart-_

_Cruxis Crystals... -winks-_


End file.
